Love in the Addams Family
by longshot07
Summary: The Addames find themselves with a stranger on their doorstep; having nowhere to go and a dangerous man on her tail. As she spends time with the eccentric family, life becomes worth living again. And for the family's loyal servant, strange feelings that had been buried for a long time rise up like the dead on Halloween night as the two begin to spend time around each other.
1. Things that go bump in the day

**AN: So i'm pretty excited for the new Addams family movie and now it's got me on a bit of a kick. I've watching a bit of the old tv series and I watched the 1990's movies on Halloween. And now I've had plot bunnies invading my head giving me ideas. The movie doesn't come out in my country until December(Australia always gets stuff later.), But i think this fic will probably be a mix between that and the 1960's show; mostly because I'm going to write this in modern times. It might lean more towards the movie once i've seen it. So enjoy the start of this and tell me what you think.**

* * *

A dark and rainy morning fell over the Addams mansion as Morticia put her head out the window to feel the chilling breeze.

"What a lovely morning!" She proclaimed as a chilling wind blew against her pale faces with light drops of rain.

Morticia pulled herself back in after a bolt of lightning flashed in the distance. Before she could turn around to the living room, she felt a pair of arms wrap around her waist in a gentle and loving manner; a knowing look in her dark eyes as she recognised the touch of her husband.

"Not as lovely as you, Cara Mia." Gomez spoke softly as he held Morticias' hand in his own.

Mrs Addams turned to face her husband with a playful smile.

"You know how to make a woman feel good, mon cher." She spoke in a seductive tone.

Gomez failed to stop himself as Morticia spoke those magic words. With a swift motion, he grabbed her arm and smothered it with gentle yet passionate kisses.

"Tish; you know what French like that does to me." Mr Addams spoke with passionate lust in between kisses.

"Darling, do control yourself now." Mrs Addams lightly warned.

"Never."

Morticia always enjoyed the love her husband gave to her; but she had things she needed to do before the morning was over.

"Darling, didn't you say you had a new train set you wanted to try out with Pugsley?"

Gomez stopped and froze mid kiss as he quickly remembered himself saying earlier that morning.

"Oh yes; of course. Mustn't forget about that." He quickly composed and fixed himself up before thinking of how spectacular it would be. "I bet this one will crash with a bang."

"But don't they all, Gomez?" Morticia asked as her husband proceeded to leave the room.

"Each time better them the last!" Mr Addams poked his head around the corner before disappearing.

Mrs Addams let out a blissful sigh as she thought of the countless reasons she married Gomez; his boundless energy being one of those reasons. But she quickly straightened herself out as she remembered the many things she needed to do; starting with her plants.

...

Speaking of plants though, Mrs Addams recalled hearing something rather peculiar last night in the front garden. It was faint, but definitely there. She was going to have a look last night, but Mr Addams insisted it was probably nothing. It might have just been a raccoon or lost dog. But she just wanted to make sure. Reaching for and grabbing the usually conveniently placed noose, she gently pulled and set off a loud ring of a gong that could be heard throughout the house.

"You rang?"

Morticia turned around to see Lurch standing right there; ready to do whatever would be requested of him.

"Oh yes; there you are, Lurch. If it's not too much trouble, I'd like you to go out front and check the bushes." Mrs Addams requested with details. "I heard noises coming from them during the storm last night and I just want to be sure I wasn't just hearing things."

Lurch nodded with a low groan before making his way to the front door; passing Wednesday and Uncle Fester playing life size operation on a mannequin with Thing as the tweezers.

Lurch opened the door and looked up to see the clouds in the sky settling down and the rain letting up. The butler groaned and shook his head at the dreadful change in the weather. He made his way to the bushes at the side of the front yard to investigate; expecting to find nothing.

But he found something.

Lurch blinked when he spotted a dark red object sitting in front of the bushes with wheels under it. The butler went in for a closer look and inspected it; realising it was a suitcase. And a fairly decent and clean one at that. Lurch took a moment to put two and two together. Usually suitcases do not just appear out of nowhere. Where there was luggage, there was probably someone to go with it. The tall butler looked around for anyone the loose luggage might have belonged to.

"Uuhhhhhh..."

Lurch froze as he heard what sounded like a light voiced moan of exhaustion. He turned around and looked in the direction of the moan. Rustling started coming from the middle of the bushes. The butler got down on his knees as he slowly approached; thinking it could be an animal of sorts. Being as cautious as possible, he pushed some of the leaves and branches apart to see something completely unexpected.

A person.

Lurch blinked and tilted his head to the side as he saw a young lady lying there; asleep and breathing slowly. From what the butler could see in the darkness under the leaves, the unconscious strangers' clothes were dirty and torn in places and she was wearing larges glasses that were smudged and dirty. Her hair was a light brunette colour but it was messy and tangled with traces of dirt. She also had a large backpack strapped to her back that looked heavy and full. Thinking it would be a bad idea to leave her there, Lurch proceeded to reach for her; intending to get her out of the uncomfortable spot. Just as Lurch was about to grab and gently pull her out, the young lady slowly came to with a light and confused moan as her eyes began to open. She looked up just as Lurch was about to grab her by the shoulder. Her eyes went wide behind her glasses before letting out a terrified scream at the sight of him.

Lurch quickly backed off, but the screaming stopped as soon as it started. The butler froze when the bushes briefly rustled with a loud thud. Lurch slowly looked back and saw the young lady unconscious again. She must have tried to get up and knocked her head against a large branch. Lurch attempted to get her out of the bushes; this time with more success. Now that he had taken her out of the bushes, Lurch got a better look at the unconscious lady; mostly seeing her clothes were light coloured and she was quite short in height; probably just below Mr Addams' height. She wore a long-sleeved purple and dark red top, a pair of black jeans with a tear in the right knee and a pair of bright red sneakers with short black socks. She also had a gold ring on her left ring finger with a red stone encrusted in it.

Lurch let out a quiet groan of worry as he looked at the unconscious stranger; knowing there was probably no one else around. Knowing leaving her outside would be a bad idea, Lurch lifted the unconscious lady over his shoulder, grabbed her suitcase and carried them both back into the house.

Wednesday and Fester did not notice Lurch come back in, but Morticia just finished feeding her plants and turned around to see the butler come into the living room.

"Ah, Lurch; you weren't gone very long." Mrs Addams spoke as she put down an empty food tray. "Was there anything in-"

Mrs Addams fell silent as she noticed Lurch taking the unconscious stranger's backpack off before gently placing her on the couch and placing her suitcase on the floor. Wednesday, Fester and Thing finally noticed and approached with interest.

"Who's the lady?" Fester asked as he pointed at the unconscious stranger Lurch placed on the sofa.

"Is she dead?" Wednesday asked with Thing resting on her shoulder.

Lurch shook his head as he put the stranger's backpack down. Morticia took a closer look at the young lady now lying on the sofa; quickly noticing how worn and exhausted she looked with her torn clothes and that large bump forming on her forehead.

"Did you find her outside, Lurch?" Morticia questioned; wondering if this woman was the source of the sounds she heard last night.

"Found her in bushes. Bumped her head on a branch." The butler explained as best he could with his limited vocabulary.

"Looks like an anvil fell on her head; like the one grandmama dropped on me last Thursday." Uncle Fester compared the red spot on the girls' head.

Morticia shook her head as she tried make sense of the situation; wondering if Gomez would know what to make of it.

"Thing; go upstairs and go get Gomez." Mrs Addams requested of the dismembered hand.

Thing gave the mistress of the house a thumbs up before jumping off Wednesday shoulder and quickly making his way upstairs; going past Grandmama as he crawled up the railing.

Grandmama looked at the group of people gathering in the living room around the sofa.

"What's going in here? We gonna have a seance or something?" The elderly witch asked in interest.

"Lurch found a lady sleeping in our front yard." Wednesday explained as she looked at the woman breathing shallowly. "And I think she may or may not be dead."

"Nah; Lurch said she just bumped her head and knocked herself out. Ain't that what you said happened, Lurch?" Uncle Fester repeated as he nudged the butler with his elbow.

Lurch only replied with a low moan as Mr Addams, Pugsley and Thing came down the stairs with a noticeable amount of ash on them from exploding trains.

"Thing tells me we have a guest." Gomez spoke enthusiastically; wanting to meet and welcome them.

"Yeah; she's asleep on the sofa." Grandmama pointed to their unconscious guest.

Gomez came around and had a look at the young lady and her rugged appearance; making a rather intrigued sound as he turned to his wife while Pugsley opened and looked inside her backpack.

"Where'd she come from?" Mr Addams asked with growing interest.

"Lurch found her in the bushes out front." Morticia explained before looking at her again. "Poor dear looks so exhausted."

"Wonder how she got past the gate?" Pugsley said out loud as he found the stranger's wallet.

"She can't even tell us her name." Wednesday pointed out as she played with the girls' hair.

Pugsley got his parents attention as he had something in his hands.

"Says here her name is Lisa Moaney." The boy said as he held up what looked like a wallet and looked at her identification. "And she's from New York."

Lurch groaned as he snatched the women's wallet from Pugsley, putting it back in the backpack before the boy could take any money from it.

"Should we try and wake her up? A little zap might do the trick." Fester suggested as he pulled out a lightbulb from his pocket.

"We should probably let her rest, brother. But perhaps it would be best to get some ice for her head and maybe some pain medication." Gomez spoke with another suggestion before turning to Lurch. "Lurch; go get some ice and put it in a small bag for our guest."

The tall butler let out an acknowledging groan before carrying out the request. Grandmama had a look of realization as Gomez mentioned mediation.

"Oh nuts; I used up everything we had in the meditation cabinet to make punch." The elder of the family quickly remembered as Lurch came back with the ice.

"You did? That explains why it tasted like cough syrup and aspirin. Was there any poison in it too?" Uncle Fester started pestering Grandmama for the recipe.

Morticia let out a sigh as she shook her head.

"As much as I love Grandmamas' punch, I'm afraid Lurch will have to go and get mediation." Mrs Addams realised as Lurch gently placed the ice bag on Lisa's forehead.

Lurch lifted his head up as he heard that he would have to go out; thinking that he already did it this week as he quietly growled in annoyance.

"Oh, come on now, Lurch old man. It's just a short trip into town." Gomez reassured as he pulled out some money for their butler to buy medication with. "Get a little something for yourself while you're out too."

"Yes, sir..." Lurch spoke deeply and quietly as he put the money away and made his way to the door.

As their butler left to get medication, everything turned their attention to the sleeping lady on their sofa.

"What do we do with sleepy head?" Uncle Fester questioned as he looked at her messy hair.

"Can we play operation on her?" Wednesday asked; holding up a pair of tweezers.

"Probably best not to, Wednesday darling. Why don't you and Uncle Fester go play with dynamite outside in the swamp?" Morticia suggested for a game quieter then operation.

"Can we use the big dynamite sticks?" Wednesday asked with a small amount of eagerness in her voice.

"I can test out my new nitro hand grenades!" Pugsley joined in; pulling out an explosive from his pocket.

"First one outside gets to be the target!" Fester shouted as he gave himself a head start.

Morticia and Gomez watched as the children and their uncle raced outside; eagerly shouting about how big of an explosion they could make.

"We raised such wonderful children; didn't we Tish." Gomez spoke with pride in his voice.

"We couldn't ask for more, Mon amour." Morticia replied as she pat her husband's cheek with her hand.

Mr Addams went wide eyed before he aggressively yet gently grabbed his wife's arm to kiss repeatedly.

"Oh Tish; you speaking French and petting my cheek like that drives me wild!" Gomez spoke with passionate fire before resuming kissing her arm.

As much as Morticia love her husband and his boundless passion, she had to remind of matters at hand.

"Darling, what about Lisa?" Mrs Addams quickly reminded him.

Mr Addams stopped and looked up with a face of confusion in place of his usually confident look.

"Who's Lisa?" He asked as if the last five minutes did not happen.

"The lady who is currently comatose on our sofa." Morticia reminded with a raised brow.

Mr Gomez looked at the unconscious stranger before realization hit him like a truck.

"Ah, yes; of course!" He quickly remembered and straightened himself out. "She must've hit her head pretty hard."

"She'll be fine. She'll probably be up and about after she takes a whiff of this." Grandmama said as she pulled out a vial of purple liquid from her poncho.

"What's that, Grandmama?" Morticia asked with mild curiosity.

"Just a combination of rattlesnake venom, liquid nitrogen, battery acid and coffee grounds. Basically, what Fester drinks every morning."

"I'm not sure she could handle anything Fester takes, Mother." Gomez spoke cautiously as Grandmama pulled the lid off the vial; realising a puff of purple smoke.

"Oh, I'm not going to make her drink it. I'll Just make her smell it." Grandmama clarified.

Morticia, Gomez and Thing watched as Grandmama waved the smoking vial under Lisa's nose; watching as the purple fumes went up into her nostrils. Without warning, the lady's eyes jolted open before she sat up rapidly with her mouth wide open; the ice pack falling off her head onto the floor. Everyone took a step back as she took a deep breath; thinking she was about to scream. But after a second of stillness, she let out a loud and prolonged cough. Before anyone could say anything, she fell back onto the sofa with her eyes closed. Everyone leaned in to check on her. Morticia blinked in confusion When she started snoring lightly.

"Is that supposed to happen?" Mrs Addams asked of Grandmama.

"I suppose. I used it on Lurch the other day and something similar happened." Grandmama recalled as she put the vial away. "Well, either way; she should be awake sometime today."

"Very good, Mama! Your concoctions could wake the dead." Gomez applauded his Mothers genius.

But Gomez quickly realized what might happen when their guest wakes up.

"But she's going to be very confused when she comes around." Mr Addams spoke with thought as he crossed his arms and put his hand to his chin.

"You don't have to worry about that, darling. I'll stay in the living room with her, and when she wakes up, I'll tell her where she is and what happened." Morticia gracefully volunteered.

"And while you're doing that, I'll work on that wake-up juice. Looks like it still needs work." Grandmama said as she left the room to work on her potions.

Gomez smiled for a moment before he felt some congestion building up in his throat.

"I'm starting to feel some congestion in my throat. Nothing a sword can't fix." Mr Addams said as his smile returned. and taking Morticia into his arms. "I do hate to leave you, cara Mia."

"Don't you worry, darling. I'll Just be here with my knitting." Morticia reassured before showing her husband what she was working on. "Cousin Tonsil asked me to knit him something for Halloween this year. What do you think?"

Gomez nodded with a smile as he looked at the four-armed sweater with a bat and pumpkin pattern in the material.

"He always gave out the best bear hugs at family gatherings." Mr Addams commented as he felt the two arms on the right. "Well, better get to it."

Morticia listened as her husband hummed a tune while making his way upstairs. Before Morticia sat down on her chair and looked for her knitting needles, she quickly picked up the fallen ice pack and put it back on Lisa's forehead as she slept. Morticia looked for her knitting needles with little amount of luck.

"Where did I put those needles?" She said out loud as she looked.

A knocking sound came from the side table next to her. She turned around to see Thing holding up the knitting needles she was looking for.

"Why thank you, Thing." She thanked the dismembered hand as she took them, sat down and got to work.

Thing waved in acknowledgement before jumping into his box and closing the lid. Morticia continued knitting cousin Tonsil's sweater as she waited for Lisa to wake up and for Lurch to come back from his outing.


	2. Meet the family

Lisa lightly groaned as her eyes slowly opened and her vision returned to her. She reached for her forehead to find a half-melted ice pack resting on her. She took it off before rubbing the spot where she hit her head; feeling like a bowling ball fell on her. Lisa fully opened her eyes and looked up as she painfully sat up; her eyes going wide when she saw a mounted moose head with one antler twisted around on the wall. She rubbed her eyes; thinking she was hallucinating. She opened them again to found that she was not.

"You're awake."

Lisa almost jumped in her spot when she heard a voice coming from the left of her. She quickly turned around to see a woman wearing a long black dress; sitting in a chair and knitting sweater. A four-armed sweater. Lisa stared at the sweater for a moment before looking at the woman and her pale complexion.

"Wher-Where am I?" Lisa asked in a heavy Brooklyn accent as she looked around. "Am I dead?"

"Not even a bit, dear." The woman in black reassured rather morbidly. "Our butler found you outside our house this morning and brought you inside. He said you hit your head and knocked yourself out."

Lisa looked down as she remembered hitting her head on something hard. Right after she thought something was trying to grab her; but it was a bit fuzzy to her. The woman got out of her chair and went over to the sofa to sit next to Lisa.

"Don't worry, Lisa. You're in safe hands here." She reassured again.

Lisa stared and took herself back a few inches away from the woman as she spoke her name.

"How do you know my name?!" She questioned as she held onto the edge of the sofa.

"Oh, my son had a look at your ID. Your hair was slightly shorter in your picture though." The woman clarified with a comment before holding out her hand and introducing herself. "I'm Morticia."

Lisa blinked before taking Morticias' hand and slowly shaking it.

"I'd introduce myself but you already know my name." Lisa tried to lighten the mood with a joke.

A loud kaboom made the young lady jump and let go of Morticias' hand. Lisa looked in the direction of the kaboom with a look of mild terror.

"What was that!?" She asked urgently as she held onto the sofa with a tight grip.

"That's just Uncle Fester and the children playing with dynamite outside." Morticia informed in a casual tone.

Lisa looked at the woman like she was crazy at the mention of dynamite.

"Dynamite!? Like the explosive!?" She questioned with a raised tone of panic.

"They were playing operation in the living room when Lurch brought you in; but I thought it would be better for you if they played something quieter outside." Morticia explained it like it was nothing.

Lisa was about to question why children were playing with explosives. But Morticia mentioned a weird name that did not sound like a real name.

"...What's a lurch?" She asked in a slightly calmer tone this time.

"He's our butler. He went out to get some medicine for you. He should be back soon." Morticia explained with a reassuring look.

Lisa blinked a little in confusion as she sat up properly on the sofa.

"I heard a new voice, Cara Mia!"

Lisa turned around as she heard a new voice coming from the top of a set of stairs. A man in a pinstriped suit, a moustache on his face and a cigar in his mouth quickly came down the stairs with his eyes on Morticia. He must be her husband, Lisa thought.

"Darling, our guest is up and about." She said to the man before turning to Lisa. "This is my husband, Mr Addams. He's been waiting to make your acquaintance."

Mr Addams gently took Lisa's hand and bowed with a welcoming smile.

"It is a pleasure to finally speak to you, madam." Gomez spoke like the gentleman he is.

Lisa could feel her cheeks turning red and flushed behind her glasses.

"Thanks... I guess." She spoke shyly as Mr Addams let her hand go.

Lisa looked at all the weird things in the living room. The moose, a painting of a giraffe in a suit, a two headed turtle. The only things that did not weird her out were the stuffed bear and the grand piano in the corner.

"You have a... really interesting place." She commented as nicely as she could.

"Thank you; we try to keep it that way." Mr Addams said before moving onto a different subject. "By the way, I was hoping you could tell us how you ended up in our front yard. Morticia said to me this morning that she heard some noises coming from outside last night."

Lisa hesitated a bit as she remembered how she got here.

"Well... I was on a train heading for a town in new Jersey. But it only stopped at the first five stations. Being my usual stupid self, I tried to walk the rest of the way and I must've got so tired I wondered into your yard and fell asleep." Lisa explained what she thought happened.

Gomez and Morticia looked at each other with mild shock before looking back at Lisa.

"You poor dear; you must be exhausted." Morticia spoke with worry.

"You look quite like you been to Hell and back again." Gomez commented as he put away his cigar. "It's a long walk from New York to New Jersey."

Lisa went wide eyed for a moment when Mr Addams mentioned her place of birth and home.

"I never Mentioned New York." She replied nervously.

"It was on your ID, dear." Mrs Addams reminded the young lady.

Lisa let out a quiet oh as she remembered Mrs Addams saying her son looked at her ID. Before Lisa could say anything else, she noticed something off. Something smelled. Lifting her arm up only slightly, she realized it was her. Wrenching for a brief moment, Lisa turned to the couple as she stood up.

"If it's okay with you, Mr and Mrs Addams; may I use your shower if you have one?" She asked as kindly as she could.

"Of course, it's no problem at all." Mr Addams kindly allowed before pointing to the stairs. "Second door on the right. There's already some towels in there; But it might take a minute for the water to get to the temperature you want."

"Thanks; I'll try to keep that in mind." Lisa nodded as she took some fresh clothes out of her suitcase and made her way upstairs.

Gomez and Morticia watched as their guest made it to the top of the stairs and disappeared around the corner.

"Ya know, Tish; she seems like a lovely person." Gomez commented as he took out another cigar.

"She seems a bit jittery and nervous. Maybe it's just because she's not familiar with her surroundings." Morticia theorised on the girl's nervous behaviour.

"Maybe she's a bit travel weary. You don't think she's homeless, do you?" Mr Addams had a worried thought; thinking of how she looked when she was unconscious on the couch.

Morticia put her hand to her chin in thought.

"I would hope not. But She looked so tired and almost distraught." Mrs Addams spoke with worry in her voice. "I hope she has somewhere she can go."

As Gomez took a puff from his cigar, his eyes lit up with an idea.

"She does."

Morticia looked at her husband with mild confusion before he explained.

"She can stay with us!" Gomez began to explain. "We can have Lurch set up the guest room and she can stay for as long as she needs."

"Gomez; are you sure?" Morticia asked with concern. "The last time someone stayed with us, it was an hour before they left screaming for some odd reason. He forgot his luggage and we had to send it to him by vulture."

"But we did have that nice young man with the tattoos on his arm. I'm glad he made up with his parents over the wedding." Gomez remembered that week fondly.

"That Clay and Jesse make such a lovely couple. Last I heard of them, they were living in Scotland." Morticia remembered the happy couple before she went back to the subject at hand. "Well if you're really sure, we might just have to see if she wants to stay or not. It would be nice to give shelter to someone who needs it. You can make lifelong friends that way."

"Couldn't agree more. Maybe even after life." Gomez agreed before taking a puff from his cigar and letting out a cloud of smoke.

* * *

Lisa hummed to herself as she dried her hair with a small towel; glad to be rid of all the dirt and tangles it had before. She was in a fresh pair of clothes that made her feel much better; a long black shirt with a skull on it with stars surrounding it, dark blue shorts and a fresh pair of red ankle socks. Lisa found the bathroom a bit weird in places. The mirror had a big crack in it and for some reason, the shower had a setting for scolding hot water. She made sure to memorise the dials before taking her glasses off, cleaning them and leaving them on the sink before getting in. She was in there for a good ten minutes before finally feeling refreshed and getting out.

Lisa took a deep breath as she put the towel down; getting her hair back to how it usually was. Long, curly and out of control.

"I feel so much better." She said as she looked at herself in the mirror.

Although, all she saw was a blurry version of herself. She just needed to put on her glasses and problem solved. She reached for them on the edge of the sink; thinking they would definitely be sitting there like they were when she got in the shower.

But she felt something slimy instead.

Lisa quickly took her hand back as she let out a noise of disgust and tried to look at what she touched. Squinting in a poor attempt to see with her burly vision, all she could make out was something red with eight appendages.

"The hell?" She muttered under her breath; realising she was looking at an octopus.

And it had her glasses in one of its tentacles.

Before she could do anything, the octopus jumped away from her and used a couple of tentacles to open the door.

"Hey, come back!" Lisa as she tried to chase after the sea creature.

The octopus only made it to the top of the stairs before dropping the glasses at the top and running off. Lisa tripped over and was brought to her knees with a pained oof. Lightly groaning in frustration, she began to crawl to where she could just make out her glasses; breaking out in a smile as she almost had them in reach.

But her smile quickly disappeared when someThing else grabbed them and took off down the stairs.

"Hey! I need those!" She shouted in an angry tone.

With another frustrated groan, she banged her fist against the floor with one thought on her mind.

"How could this get any worse?"

* * *

Lurch slowly made his way down the street with two small paper bags in his hands. One had the pain medicine for Lisa while the other had a muffin he bought for himself.

Lurch did not always enjoy going out to get things when his family asked him to. It was not going out that he did not like. It was the people he did not like about it. There was always just too many of them; even if they would run or walk away at the sight of him. It did make getting to places a little easier; but if he actually had to interact with someone to get it done, he just loathed it. Part of him just wanted to read a book or practice the piano. But he knew it was just part of his job as a butler, and he was thankful to be with a family that accepted him.

Lurch was already at the front gate of the house. But a clap of thunder made him look up. Before he could even look all the way up, rain began to pour down. With a low groan of frustration, he put the paper bags in his jacket and hunched over to stop them from getting wet and ruined. As he walked through the gate and heard it shut behind him, he had one thought on his mind.

Could this day get any worse?

The butler made it to the door just as it began to rain bullets. Grabbing the doorknob, he opened it; dragging himself in as he wiped some of the rain water off of himself. He walked into the living room to find no one there. But he felt a tap on his shoulder. Turning his head to see Thing; he tilted his head when saw the dismembered hand holding a pair of glasses. Thing dropped them into the butler's large hand before jumping off and running out of the living room.

Lurch had a good looked at the pair of spectacles. They were not the ones he used for reading; they were a bit too small for him. They cannot belong to any one of the family. In fact, the only person he had seen wearing glasses today was unconscious on the couch. Or so he thought.

"OW!"

Lurch looked up towards the stairs as he saw Lisa going down them. To put it more accurately, she was sliding down the stairs on her back and landed right next to the couch before she stopped. She sat up as she let out a pained sound before getting on her knees.

"Why didn't I get those freakin' contact lenses!?" She angrily spoke to herself as she crawled blindly.

Lurch watched the girl for a moment before realising that she wasn't wearing the glasses she had this morning. She must have lost them and Thing might have found them. Lurch was baffled by whatever reason Thing handed them to him; but he could not just let the poor girl crawl around blind and looking for them. Approaching quietly, Lurch made his way over to her and tried to get her attention.

"...Excuse, me..." He spoke with a low groan.

"Huh, Wha?" Lisa muttered as she turned around; hearing someone speaking in a really deep voice.

Lurch quietly held the pair of glasses out to Lisa as she crawled in his direction. Lisa looked forward as she made out the shape of the blur. Reaching out and feeling her glasses, she gasped and smiled with delight and relief.

"Oh, Thank you!" She said; looking down at the floor as she put them on and adjusted them until her vision came back. "I thought I'd lost these for good this ti-"

Lisa stopped her sentence as she looked up in front of her; her smile slowly disappearing as she saw a long pair of legs. She slowly looked up to see what she thought was a rather tall person looming over her before she froze with a gasp as what she really saw a monstrous man with an equally monstrous face to match. Lisa remained frozen and silent for a few seconds before Lurch tried to say something.

"...uh-"

"GAAHHHH!" Lisa let out a frightened scream as she fell backwards; trying to back away before backing into the sofa. "GET BACK! DON'T HURT ME!"

Lurch just rolled his eyes the other way with a low groan; should have known this was going to happen again no matter what. Morticia and Gomez walked into the living with concerned faces.

"What's all the commotion?" Morticia asked as she walked up to Lisa.

"There's a- there's a mon…! A mon...!" Lisa stuttered as she pointed at Lurch in panic.

Morticia and Gomez looked up to see Lurch standing there with his usual stoic face. Lisa was expecting the couple to have a similar reaction like she did; but they just smiled in delight.

"Lurch; you've returned!" Gomez spoke like he was gone for weeks instead of an hour.

"Did you get the medicine for Miss Lisa?" Morticia asked as she approached the hulking butler.

Lurch nodded with a grunt as he took out the paper bag with the medicine. Lisa had trouble figuring out what was happening until she remembered what Morticia said the name of their butler was.

"Tha-that's your butler!?" She questioned as she held onto the couch for sofa for some degree of safety.

Gomez and Morticia turned to Lisa with mildly confused faces while Lurch looked directly at her with a blank yet intimidating look.

"Oh, how could I forget?" Morticia put her hand over her chest as she spoke. "Lurch found you outside this morning and brought you in. He was worried about you and that bump on your head. Weren't you, Lurch?"

Lisa flinched as the giant of a man let out a zombie like groan in response.

"We even asked him to go out and get some medicine for you." Mr Addams added as he gave the butler a pat on the back.

Lisa felt like it was getting hard to breath as a train of negative thoughts filled her head. But things were about to get more anxious for her as unfamiliar faces came into the room.

"Hey, I heard screaming! We having a party!?"

Everyone turned to see Uncle Fester and the children returning from the backyard; soaking wet from the sudden rain. Lisa made a frightened sound as she saw the creepy looking bald man in a trench coat and covered in ashes from playing with explosives. The little girl in the black dress and the little chubby boy next to her quickly noticed Lisa and looked straight at her; making her hide behind the couch out of fear.

"Hey, the sleepy lady finally woke up!" Uncle Fester said as he walked over to the couch to look at her.

"That impressive scream we heard must have been her." Wednesday assumed as she also had a look.

"Can you do it again?" Pugsley asked with a Cheshire cat grin.

Lisa just kept her mouth shut and trembled as the unfamiliar faces stared at her with unknown intentions before Gomez introduced them.

"This is Uncle Fester Addams and our children Wednesday and Pugsley." Mr Addams introduced the shaking woman to more of the family. "Grandmama and Thing should be around here somewhere."

As if right on cue, Grandmama came running into the room with a vial of the stuff she used on Lisa earlier with Thing sitting on her shoulder.

"I fixed the wake-up juice! It should work this time!" The old woman spoke with a hint of excitement.

"It's alright, Mama. She came around." Morticia told her; turning her excitement into disappointment.

Lisa turned to look at Grandmama; but her frightened eyes were instantly locked on Thing. She let a short and horrified shriek before pointing at the dismembered left hand on the woman's shoulder.

"What is that thing!?" She questioned as she pointed.

"Why, yes; his name is Thing." Gomez answered with amazement before turning to Morticia. "Smart one, isn't she?"

Lisa watched in fear as Thing jumped off Grandmama's shoulder and crawled over to her. Lisa froze as the dismembered hand stopped in front of her and held himself out with his fist open.

"He what's to shake hands with you." Wednesday told Lisa; making her flinch.

Lisa stared right at the hand as she trembled. She really did not want to touch it; thinking it might bite her somehow or claw her with its nails. But she really did not want to offend these... people. Lisa slowly exceeded her hand out to Thing; flinching as he grabbed it and gentle shook it like he was greeting her.

"There ya go, Thing; no need to be shy." Gomez encouraged the dismembered hand; seemingly unaware of the girls' nervousness.

Lisa took her hand back as soon as Thing let her go. But she looked up in fear as Lurch approached her. Lisa did not blink as the giant butler looked at her before speaking in his incredibly deep voice.

"...your head..." He pointed at the spot where Lisa hit her head in the bushes.

Lisa just looked at him with her big green eyes through her glasses while reaching for the spot he was pointing at. She blinked a bit when she noticed it still felt a bit sore, but not to the point where it bothered or distracted her.

"What about my head?" She asked nervously in response.

"Lurch just wants to know if your head still hurts." Gomez clarified as he took out a cigar from his front pocket.

"He's been worried about you since he brought you in." Morticia reminded her of what happened this morning.

Lisa quickly remembered waking up briefly before knocking herself out. That behemoth these people called their butler must have tried to get her out of the bushes; but she freaked out at the sight of him reaching out to her. But Lisa also realised this could be her chance to leave.

"Actually, I'm feeling a lot better." She said as she lifted herself off the floor; only coming up to Lurchs' elbows. "As a matter of fact, I think I'm well enough to leave."

Everyone apart from Lurch and Thing looked at her with confused faces.

"Leave? You only just got here." Morticia sounded disappointed at the idea of their guest leaving them so soon.

"We were actually going to ask you to stay with us. We were even going to have Lurch set up the guestroom for you." Gomez explained to the young lady as she slowly grabbed her things.

"We're just worried that you don't have anywhere to go or stay." Morticia added.

Lisa felt a build-up of nervous saliva in her mouth as she circled around the family to try and get to the door.

"I appreciate that; I really do, really." She said in an attempt to not hurt their feelings. "But, I'm just not that type of person who likes to stay in one place for too long. I'm sure you under-"

Lisa stopped talking and jumped as a loud roar came out from under her. She stepped on a bear skin rug that did not enjoy being stepped on. Lisa got herself straightened out and got over that little thing before picking where she left off.

"I'm sure you understand What that's like." Lisa finished as she resumed backing away slowly.

Mr and Mrs Addams looked a little disappointed while everyone seemed indifferent about it.

"Well, if you must." Gomez took it with a grain of salt.

"Stay safe, dear. There are some very strange people out there." Morticia wished Lisa safe travels.

"Try not to hit anymore branches on your way out!" Uncle Fester jokingly warned.

Lisa just gave them a nervous smile when Grandmama, Pugsley and Thing just waved goodbye while Wednesday and Lurch stared her down. Lisa grabbed the doorknob with her free hand as she said one more goodbye.

"Okay, thanks for helping me and letting me use your shower and goodb-"

Lisa opened the door and stopped when she was greeted to a massive down pour of rain. Her heart skipped a beat as lightning struck somewhere nearby and thunder roared to point where the ground seemed to shake. Lisa swallowed a mouthful of spit that built up in her mouth before slowly closing the door and going back inside; avoiding stepping on the angry bear skin rug as she did so. Everyone watched with confusion as she came back before she spoke.

"Now that I think about it, my head is still a little sore." She scratched the back of her head as she half lied; really just not wanting to get hit by lightning. "I... I might stay just for tonight."

Gomez and Morticia had expressions of delight on their faces while even else seemed indifferent about it.

"Capital! Lurch; take miss Lisa's things and show her to her room!"

"Yes, Mr Addams..." Lurch spoke slowly as he carried out the request.

Lisa backed off a bit as Lurch grabbed her suitcase; lifting it off the ground and holding it under his arm before turning to its owner. Lisa froze as the butler looked at her directly with his odd coloured eyes.

"Come with me..."

Lisa quickly nodded and followed him up the stairs without saying a word; thinking it would be best to do what he says. Everyone watched as Lurch led their guest upstairs to their room.

"So how long is the lady gonna stay with us?" Uncle Fester asked as the pair disappeared upstairs.

"Like she said, brother; just for tonight." Gomez reminded his dear brother. "But then again, she might change her mind and stay a little longer. Who knows?"

* * *

Lisa felt like she was being led to her death as Lurch walked in front of her with her suitcase; stopping at the door down at the end of hallway. She watched as the butler opened the door; hearing it creak louder than any door she had heard in her life. She followed Lurch as he walked in and placed her suitcase and the medicine he bought from town on what she thought might have been a double queen-sized bed. She looked around the room with her eyes wide. Everything looked dark and morbid from the black curtains to the portrait of the two headed woman hanging on the wall against the head of the bed. Lisa started to think that she may have somehow wondered into Hell or some other horrible place.

Lisa watched as Lurch walked past her and walked towards the door to leave her. She froze in her spot as he turned to look at her.

"...Thing will get you later..." He talked in a slow and deep tone that made Lisa turn pale.

"T-thing will g-get me?" Lisa repeated in question; thinking about what that hand was going to do to her.

"For dinner..."

Lisa let out a quiet oh when she realised Thing was probably just going to come get her when dinner was ready. Lurch rolled his eyes the other way and groaned as he left the guest alone. Lisa stood there for a minute before she took off her bag and placed it next to the bed. She just sat on the end of the bed with her face in her hands as she let out a quiet groan of frustration and a hint of sadness.

"How am I supposed to get to that safe house now?" She spoke under her breath as she thought of her situation and her plans quickly going south.

Lisa looked out the cobweb coated window as the rain continued to pour; probably not going to let up anytime soon.

"Least 'he' doesn't know where I am." She thought as she watched the down pour. "But Mom and Teddy don't know. They'll be worried about me when they find out."

Lisa opened her bag; taking out her phone and turning it on to immediately check for a signal. At least three out of four bars; hopefully enough to check the weather forecast or any news updates. Lisa stared at the screen as her finger hovered over the contacts button. She wanted to press it and tell her mother and brother that she was safe. At least she hoped she was safe in a house like this. But she could only turn away as she put it back with the other things she had in her bag.

Not yet. She could not do it yet. Not until she knew or felt for sure that 'he' was not going to find her.

* * *

**AN: Lisa is a bit frightened now, but she'll warm up to the Addames soon. Especially a certain butler. ;)**


	3. Alligator for dinner

Morticia guided her paintbrush across the canvas with all her focus. She finished the sweater she was working on earlier that day, but she still had a spark of creativity. She decided the best way to use the leftover energy was to make another painting to add to her collection of masterpieces. Gomez walked into the living room with a line of paper in his hands with a grin on his face.

"Morticia, look; Consolidated fuzz just fell to two!" He spoke excitedly as he showed his wife the piece of paper with numbers and percentage on it.

Morticia turned away from her work in progress and looked at the numbers on the small paper; blinking in confusion as she did so.

"You have a rather odd system when it comes to these things, dear." Mrs Addams commented as nicely as she could.

Mr Addams was about to reply on the subject before he eyed the painting his wife was working on. He pulled out a large pair of spectacles from his coat and placed them to his eyes as he observed the smears and smudges of red, black, dark grey and deep purple on the canvas.

"You out do yourself every time, Cara Mia." He complemented as he stared at the artwork.

"You really think so? I just had some leftover creative energy from knitting cousin Tonsils' sweater." Morticia clarified as she looked it over.

"Anything you create is a work of art, my darling. Do you have a name for it?"

Morticia put her hand to her chin in thought before her pale face lit up with a name for the painting.

"I think I shall call this one, abyss." She spoke with a hint of pride in her voice. "What do you think, bubele?"

Gomez immediately grabbed Morticias' arm and kissed it repeatedly upon hearing the affectionate nickname. Morticia looked down to see this with a raised brow before she just shrugged indifferently.

"I'll take that as a sign that you like it."

Lurch walked in on the couple as Mr Addams continued to kiss the arm of his beloved. The butler rolled his eyes the other way; wishing his sense of timing was better so he did not have to see them getting too intimate. Holding up his hand to the doorway, he tapped it three times to get their attention. Morticia turned her head and saw Lurch standing there.

"Yes, Lurch?" She asked as Gomez continues to kiss her passionately.

"Dinners almost ready..." Lurch answered before turning back where he came from.

Morticia nodded and looked at her husband.

"Darling; it's time for dinner." She tried to get his attention.

Gomez stopped and looked up before realising what his darling wife said.

"Oh yes; better tell everyone." He quickly said as he pulled out a small gong.

Gomez then walked over to a small box in the room and knocked. Thing emerged from the box as he opened the lid; wondering what he was needed for.

"Would mind doing the honours, Thing?" Mr Addams asked as he held the small gong in front of Thing.

Thing gave Mr Addams a thumbs up before he grabbed a small mallet and slammed it against the gong; sending a loud ring through the house that everyone could hear. Mr and Mrs Addams listened as they heard the sound of running upstairs; Wednesday and Pugsley running downstairs and into the dining room while Fester and Grandmama came up from the basement. Morticia looked down at Thing as he climbed out of his box.

"Thank you, Thing. But could you go and get Lisa? That gong is a bit difficult to hear sometimes." Morticia requested of the sentient hand.

Thing gave out a wave of acknowledgment before jumping off the table and climbing up the stairs to the guestroom.

* * *

Lisa held onto the bed as a loud ring shook the house; watching as the glass on the windows rattled and the lights on the ceiling flickered. She caught her breath as the ringing and the shaking stopped; struggling to stand back up using the bed post.

"If I don't die here, I'll probably go deaf." She thought as she laid back on the bed.

Lisa held her face in her hand as she recalled looking up the weather forecast on her phone. It was going to be non-stop rain for the next week or so; with on and off thunderstorms. She was not going anywhere anytime soon, and she did not have much money to spend or use for a cab. A cab probably would not be brave enough to come anywhere near here. All she could hope for was that this family was not going to try and do something horrible or demonic to her.

A knock at the door made Lisa sit up with a gasp. She waited a few seconds before another knock came.

"Yes? Who is it?" She asked as she walked over to the door.

With a shaking hand, Lisa slowly opened the door gland poked her head out; seeing no one there. The girl looked down to the end of the hallway to find any possible trace of anyone who knocked, but she could not find anyone.

Until she felt something tapping her shoe.

Lisa looked down and gasped when she saw Thing sitting there and waving at her. Lisa stared with wide eyes as he started crawling away before turning back and made a gesture for her to follow him. Nervously messing with her ring; she followed him through the hallway, down the stairs, through the living room and into a different part of the house. As Lisa followed Thing into a new room, she heard the voices of the Addamses talking amongst each other. She followed Thing around the corner to see the family sitting a table in the centre of the room with cutlery in front of them each. Gomez sitting at the end with Morticia, he took a break from staring lovingly at his wife as he saw their guest coming from around the corner.

"Miss Lisa! You've emerged!" Mr Addams said as he stood up and welcomed Lisa to the table. "Come. You can sit right next to Wednesday and Pugsley."

Lisa made a weird noise as Mr Addams led her to the table and sat her down between the two children. She looked and stared at them one at a time as they stared at her.

"You were awfully quiet after Lurch took you to your room. Are you finding it to your liking?" Morticia ask their guest how she was finding her room.

Lisa tried to think of something polite to say.

"It's... Dark. And the portrait on the wall is... interesting to say the least." She spoke as kindly as she could.

"You mean the painting of great, great aunt Scowli?" Fester came into the conversation unexpectedly, making Lisa flinch and turn to him. "Yeah; she was always a fun conversationalist."

"Even if it was usually with herself." Grandmama added as she played with her knife on the table.

Lisa could only give the people a brief nervous smile before looking a different way.

"So, I checked the forecast. It looks like I'll be staying for longer then I planned." She spoke with a hint of disappointment behind her voice.

"I heard the weatherman on the radio say it was going to be raining and storming all week." Morticia remembered hearing about the ongoing weather with a thoughtful look on her face.

"Thought you would stay while the weather's good and lovely, did you?" Gomez assumed with a smile.

Lisa gave him a funny look as he implied that this downpour weather was 'lovely'.

"I wouldn't exactly-"

"Uuhhhhh..."

Lisa fell silent and turned her head to see Lurch coming in with an old looking trolley with plates of food and what looked like some kind of roast on it. Lisa turned back as Gomez commented.

"Looks absolutely exquisite, Lurch. You always know how to make perfect roasted Alligator." Mr Addams spoke as the butler started handing out plates.

Lisa went wide eyed as she heard Mr Addams say the word alligator.

"I call dibs on the end piece!" Pugsley called out.

Lisa stared at the freshly cooked meat as Lurch placed it on the table along with what looked like steamed vegetables. But she completely focused on the so-called alligator roast.

"Have you eaten alligator before?" Wednesday asked Lisa; making her turn to the little girl with noose shaped pigtails.

Lisa was not sure how to answer. She knew alligator was edible and she knew a few people who ate it and said it tasted pretty good. But she never had it and was not sure if she would like it.

"I can't really say I have." She confessed as she watched Fester dig into his food.

"You don't know what you're missing." Pugsley said as Lurch cut a few slices off the roast for him.

"It goes very nicely with eye of newt." Morticia commented as she picked some vegetables for her plate.

Lisa gave the woman in black a weary look at the mention of newt eyes as Lurch placed some roasted Alligator on her plate. It looked safe to eat and was cooked thoroughly. But she was not sure now that something like newt was something these people liked to eat with it. She shook her head as she silently told herself to put that aside. She had to eat something. Having only eaten a packet of potato chips she bought from a gas station for the last day or so, she was starving and did not want to be fussy. Grabbing her knife and fork, she cut up a small piece of meat and hesitated as she put it 7in her mouth. But she got over it and just quickly took a bite.

Lisa waited for it taste bad and spit it out. But to her surprise, it did not taste bad. Not bad at all

In fact, it tasted really good.

"Oh my gosh." She muttered before swallowing and cutting up a slightly bigger bit. "This tastes great!"

"Glad you like it, dear." Morticia spoke politely.

Everybody dug into their food when Lurch finished setting up dinner. The butler stood silently in the corner with his hands behind his back and waited patiently for his family and their guest to finish.

As Gomez began to cut a piece of meat with his knife and fork, he noticed Lisa taking a lot of steamed vegetables for her plate. Everyone already got some, but she pretty much took the rest.

"You must be starving, Miss Lisa." Mr Addams commented; trying not to sound rude or anything.

Lisa gave him a confused stare before realising what he just said and replied.

"Well, I haven't really had a lot to eat for the past couple of days." She said like it was not that important and just resumed eating.

Morticia looked slightly concerned when the young lady said that, now noticing that she looked quite skinny.

"You really Haven't eaten anything until now?" Mrs Addams asked with a voice of concern.

Lisa swallowed a mouthful of carrot and spinach before answering the question.

"I did a have some chips and a can of coke from a gas station, but that's just about it."

"Were they wood chips? Those ones are the best; specially with ghost peppers." Fester asked as he seasoned his food with hot sauce.

Lisa blinked at the ungodly amount of hot sauce the uncle was putting on his food; thinking steam was probably going to come out of ears in a minute. Pugsley tapped Lisa on the shoulder and started talking to her.

"Is it true that if you put mints in that coke stuff, does it explode like a volcano?" The chubby, explosive obsessed boy asked with great interest.

"Yeah, that can happen; but there's a trick to it." Lisa began to explain as she put down her cutlery.

As Lisa explained the science of cola and mints to Pugsley, Lurch glanced at her before he noticed something under the sleeve of her t-shirt. From his spot in the corner, he could see something that looked like an odd patch of colour. He was going to dismiss it at first. but as she adjusted and played with her sleeve, he saw the patch was really a large bruise; a seemingly fresh one too. 'Maybe she fell' he thought. The butler thought it was rather concerning. But it did not seem to bother Lisa, so he dismissed it. But he still thought about it.

"And it's a lot of fun to do; but it makes as pretty big mess." Lisa finished explaining before resuming eating what was on her plate.

"That sounds awesome!" Pugsley jumped in his seat at the thought of making soft drink explode.

"That does sound intriguing; but I much prefer dynamite and nitro-glycerine." Wednesday spoke before finishing her food.

"You could replace the baking soda with nitro-glycerine; that would give it a real kick." Fester added before drinking the remaining hot sauce out of the bottle.

Lisa gave the odd man a confused look before immediately going back to her food. Everyone immediately went into their own conversations while their guest polished off the last of her vegetables. After a few minutes, all that was left was a small slice of alligator. But Lisa had eaten her fill on the other slices of alligator and all the steamed vegetables on the plate; looking at it with a stare of self-disappointment. Morticia quickly noticed as she looked up.

"Something wrong, Lisa?" Mrs Addams asked.

"I'm full, but I really don't wanna let this last bit go to waste." Lisa explained; remembering her mother always telling her and her brother to eat everything on their plates.

"Oh, that's not a problem at all; kitty Kat can have the rest if you don't want it." Gomez spoke like it was no big deal.

Lisa looked up with a smile on her face as the word kitty was mentioned.

"You guys have a cat?" She asked with a delighted tone in her voice.

The smile quickly disappeared as a roar came from around the corner. Lisa slowly turned her head to see a big lion coming into the dining room; staying completely still as the jungle cat started coming her way.

"He's a cat of the big variety." Grandmama commented as Kitty Kat started sniffing Lisa.

"He's usually very shy around strangers." Morticia added as she watched Kitty Kat get rather close to their guest.

Lisa leaned back as the lion got uncomfortably close to her; sniffing her like she smelled like another animal.

"Maybe he knows I didn't finish my dinner." She tried to make light-hearted small talk.

Lisa turned her head as Lurch let out a groan; grabbing her plate and making Kitty Kat come to him. She watched with morbid interest as he scraped the leftovers into the lions' mouth with the cutlery before placing the plate onto the trolley to wash later. Pretty soon after, everyone else finished their dinner and called it quits.

"Well Lurch, you've outdone yourself again." Gomez complimented the chef.

"You always know how to make alligator taste divine." Morticia added with her compliment.

Lurch looked away as his usually blank face almost cracked a smile; embarrassed from being complimented for his cooking. Lisa adjusted herself in her seat before speaking up.

"Yeah, that was pretty good. Good job." She complimented as best she could; really meaning what she said before standing up. "If it's okay with all of you, I think I'll go to bed."

Gomez gave Lisa a look like she was almost mad.

"Bed? At the young hour of-"

Gomez was not really sure what time it was. He took out his pocket watch; reading eight thirty. Then he looked at his wristwatch; reading six thirty.

"... It's only seven thirty. The night is still very young and were all going to play charades with Thing after dinner."

Morticia leaned in to whisper into her husband's ear.

"We should let her go to bed. She's probably tired from her little accident today, Mon cher."

Gomez froze for a brief second before grabbing her arm and kissing it in fiery passion.

"Tish; that French! Speak some more; I beg you!" Mr Addams begged in between kisses. "Bonjour, Amour, Merci; anything!"

Lisa blinked at the sight of the passionate man kissing his wife lovingly before she felt a tap on her shoulder; turning her head to see Wednesday talking to her.

"This might take a while. You should go upstairs if you want to." The little girl in black recommend as she pointed upwards.

Lisa nodded and gave everyone an acknowledging look.

"Thanks for dinner. I guess I'll see you all the morning." She thanked them with a shaky bow.

Lurch watched as Lisa turned to him for a moment; seemingly giving him a glance with no meaning before leaving the room. Just as she left for bed, Gomez took a moment to catch his breath; mildly exhausted from kissing his beloved Morticia. He looked up in confusion When he noticed Lisa was gone.

"Did I miss something?" He asked wondering where their guest went.

"Nothing important, Bubele." Morticia reassured with her nickname for her darling husband.

In an instant, Gomez began kissing Morticias' arm again; making Lurch quietly groan as he started cleaning up.

* * *

"It's a rabid dog!" Fester shouted as Thing made various hand signals.

Thing quickly made a thumbs down before returning to making hand signals.

"Transylvania twist!" Grandmama shouted her guess; getting a thumbs down from Thing.

"Pet Sematary!" Pugsley added his guess; still getting a thumbs down.

"It's dancing with Wolves!" Wednesday shouted with a guess.

Thing stopped making hand signals and gave Wednesday a thumbs up; telling her she got it right. Morticia, Gomez and Grandmama clapped and cheered while Fester looked disappointed with losing for the again while Pugsley seemed indifferent over it.

"Well done, Wednesday! You're a master of the game of charades." Mr Addams congratulated his daughter.

Morticia held out a small chalkboard and added another tally mark under Wednesdays' name. Sixteen for her, eight for Grandmama, two for both Pugsley and Fester while Lurch played and practiced some background music on the piano.

"Thing always makes it easy for Wednesday. She wouldn't have got it right if the answer was cat or bubonic plague." Fester crossed his arms stubbornly.

"Now Fester, there is no need to be a sore loser." Morticia advised as she put the chalkboard aside.

Fester just shrugged indifferently before getting out of his seat and standing up with a stretch.

"I think I'm done with charades for the night. I'm gonna go fly a kite with a key attached to it and then I'm gonna go hit the sack." The bald uncle said before a clap of thunder erupted outside. "If I'm lucky, I'll get hit by lightning."

"Bring some old batteries with you; I need some charged ones to cook with dinner tomorrow." Grandmama asked as Fester run off.

Just as their uncle left the room, Wednesday and Pugsley rubbed their eyes and let out tired yawns; quickly gaining the attention of their parents and grandmother.

"Sounds like our little monsters are ready to turn in." Gomez commented as his children grew tired from today.

"I'm... not, tired." Pugsley contradicted himself as his eyelids began to close.

Morticia smiled warmly as her son fell asleep right there, standing up. Gomez shook his head with a proud smile before turning to their butler.

"Lurch, would you please take the children to their beds?" Mr Addams requested of the loyal butler.

"You can put Pugsley to bed while I go up and read a bedtime story to Wednesday." Morticia instructed as she got up.

Lurch nodded as he stopped playing music and stood up. The large butler gently picked up the sleeping boy and carried him while Morticia took Wednesdays' hand and led her upstairs.

* * *

Lurch finished putting Pugsley to bed and left the boys room; about to go off and finish some late-night chores before going to do some pre bedtime reading.

_"Love of my life, you've hurt me"_

But the butler stopped in the middle of the hallway as an odd, faint sound reached his ears. He slowly turned around as he listened; trying figure out what it was and where it was coming from.

_"You've broken my heart and now you leave me_

_Love of my life, can't you see?_

_Bring it back, bring it back"_

It took Lurch a moment to realize that sound was someone singing. He turned to the end of the hall where it was coming from; going back that way to discover where exactly.

The guestroom.

_"Don't take it away from me, because you don't know_

_What it means to me"_

The butler listened closely as the soft singing got only a little louder. But he could hear it clearly as he stood right in front of the door. Wanting to hear more, Lurch leaned in and quietly placed the side of his head against the door; hearing the voice so much more clearly.

_"Love of my life, don't leave me_

_You've stolen my love, you now desert me"_

Lurch found himself holding his chest as he listened to the lovely voice; closing his eyes as he wondered who the voice belonged to. The butler thought perhaps it might be one of the family ghosts haunting the house; singing a lament about their broken heart.

...

But he quickly thought about it again and opened his eyes when he never recalled any ghost here singing like that. It cannot be any of them. If it's not any of them...

Then was it... Lisa?

Lurch was so lost in thought; he did not realize he was standing next to a small table with a dark coloured vase; bumping into it and knocking the antique over. The butler quickly reacted and grabbed the vase before it could hit the floor; gently putting it back.

"Is someone there?"

Lurch quietly gasped as Lisa called out from inside the guestroom; hearing light footsteps coming to the door. The butler quickly backed off and ran to a different room; not wanting to be caught listening to something that was not intended for him. Lurch could hear Lisa open her door slightly; probably looking for whatever made the odd noise. He heard her make an indifferent sound before closing the door; making the butler take a breath of relief.

"Is everything alright, Lurch?"

The butler almost jumped as he heard a voice address him. He quickly looked forward and saw Mrs Addams in the middle of reading the Tell-Tale Heart and other Edgar Allen Poe stories to Wednesday; the little girl already asleep and the mother finding Lurchs' sudden appearance a tad unexpected. The butler just straightened himself out before responding.

"Fine... Goodnight." He wished the mother and daughter goodnight before leaving for his room.

* * *

Lisa rubbed her tired eyes as she set her glasses aside. She had trouble getting to sleep after she excused herself from dinner earlier. Everything about this place was so weird and unnerving to her; like some crazy fever dream. But Mr and Mrs Addams were kind enough to let her stay; the pouring rain outside reminding her to be grateful for that.

"I'm not going back to New York. Not while he's still there." She thought to herself as she pulled the sheet and blanket up to cover her body. "That abusive pig can jump off a cliff for all I care."

Lisa took a deep breath and exhaled before closing her eyes; looking forward to a goodnight sleep.

But a bolt of lightning accompanied by a loud and close thunderclap made her sit up with a terrified jolt.

"Dang it! Just missed me!" She heard Festers' voice just outside below the window.

Blinking as she laid back down, Lisa let out a tired sigh; having a feeling that she was not going to have a good sleep tonight. Or any other night while she was here.

* * *

**AN: I've never had alligator, but someone i know has and they say it's pretty good.**


	4. Mildly Suspicious

**AN: Well, I finally saw the movie. I gotta say, I actually enjoyed it. A few of the jokes were a bit hit or miss, but I got a good chuckle out of it. So now that I've actually seen it, I can properly write this now and start taking a few elements from that and the 1960's show. Please enjoy this chapter.**

* * *

Morticia drank and savoured her morning henbane tea as Lurch finished setting up the table for breakfast. This morning's breakfast was piping hot bowls of blackberry porridge with a side of wild hog bacon. Gomez looked away from his morning paper and eyed the food with an eager grin.

"No breakfast would be complete without crispy hog bacon. Especially when Lurch cooks it just right." He complemented the chef.

Lurch just let out a quiet moan as he looked down; appreciating the comment in his own way. Morticia nodded in agreement before looking up at the table's occupants. Just about everyone in the family was accounted for. Uncle Fester, Grandmama, Wednesday and Pugsley; even Thing was around here somewhere while Kitty Kat was napping somewhere else. But one chair was empty, and Lurch had set a spot for their guest. Who must have still been upstairs sleeping.

"Gomez, did anyone see Lisa get up this morning?" She asked; wondering where their guest was.

"I don't think I did." Gomez answered before turning to everyone else. "Did any of you see her?"

"Nope." Grandmama, Fester and Pugsley answered at once.

"I didn't see her." Wednesday answered as she played with her spoon.

"Uh-uh..." Lurch moaned as he slowly shook his head.

Thing just shook left and right like he was saying no. Morticia just had a quietly confused look on her face as she wondered why Lisa had not come down for breakfast yet.

"She went to bed quite early last night. Can't imagine how she would still be asleep on a lovely day like this." She said, looking out the window to see light and steady rain falling from dark grey clouds.

"You want Lurch to see if she's dead or something?" Grandmama suggested as she seasoned her porridge with some kind of orange powder.

"I'll do it! If there's anything I'm good at, it's getting people up and out of bed!" Fester volunteered too eagerly as he disappeared under the table to get something.

Everyone watched as Fester come out from under the table with a pair of cymbals and left the dining room. Lurch let out a disapproving groan as he shook his head; finding the uncle's way of doing things irritating sometimes.

* * *

Lisa did not fall asleep until three o clock in the morning; the thunder and lightning keeping her up. She only managed to fall asleep when the thunderstorm moved away and only rain was coming down. Now she was asleep on her side; covered by the sheets and blankets and protected from the cold as her head laid on the pillow.

Before the sound of metal smashing together began to repeat itself in her ears; making her sit up with her eyes wide and her vision blurry like it always was without her glasses.

"Up and atom, sleepy head!" She heard a high and shrill voice call out among the noise.

Lisa quickly reached for her glasses and put them on; seeing Fester banging a pair of cymbals together with a two hundred wot grin on his unsettling face.

"What the hell are you doing!?" Lisa questioned as she covered her ears.

Fester stopped banging the percussion instrument together and cleared his throat before speaking.

"Just came up to tell you that breakfast is ready. We're having blackberry porridge and bacon." The bald man spoke enthusiastically.

Lisa lifted her glasses up slightly as she rubbed her tired eyes. She did not need to look in a mirror to know she probably looked like Hell. Same as she did yesterday.

"Bacon does sound pretty good." Lisa said with a yawn as she dragged her out of bed.

"I know! Hog bacon's the best." Fester replied; unaware of Lisa's eyes turning wide upon hearing the word hog. "Well, better get down there before Pugsley decides he wants second! Don't be too long, kid!"

Lisa watched as Fester left the room and disappeared as he banged the cymbals on repeat. When he was gone, Lisa let out a light moan as she rubbed her head; wanting to just go back to sleep. She took her phone out of her bag and checked the time.

8:56AM

There was not much point in going back to sleep now. With an almost zombie like groan; Lisa lifted herself off the bed and dragged herself out of the room.

* * *

Gomez Looked up from his paper as Fester came back into the room; taking his seat back and digging into his breakfast.

"Did you wake our guest up, brother?" Mr Addams asked.

"Yep. She should be down here any minute." Fester answered before taking a spoonful of porridge.

Right on cue, the sound of someone stumbling could be heard around the corner. Everyone watched as Lisa came in stumbling; using the wall for support as she wondered in with her eyes half closed. Lisa looked up at everyone before taking the empty seat next to Grandmama.

"Good morning, Lisa. Did you sleep well?" Morticia greeted the young lady sitting across from her.

Lisa looked up at Mrs Addams as she blinked a few times; the dark bags under her eyes very noticeable.

"Not until three." She said as she felt a yawn coming on.

"Did you stay up late to watch the thunderstorm last night?" Pugsley asked from his spot at the table.

"Not that I had a choice." Lisa replied as she looked at her bowl of porridge.

As she grabbed her spoon, she felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned her head to see Lurch standing there. She almost flinched when she saw him; but she straightened herself out when she quickly realized he was holding what looked a glass of orange juice.

"Beverage?..." The butler offered Lisa the glass.

Lisa looked back and forth between the drink and Lurch before quietly thanking him and gently taking the glass from his hand. She blinked and stared for a moment when her hand was next to his for a second; quickly realising how huge he was compared to herself. Lisa thought he was almost comparable to those wrestlers she and brother used to watch on tv as kids; only Lurch was bigger.

"Hey, Lurch; pour me a glass of that would ya?" Fester requested as he took a vial of purple liquid from his coat.

Lisa took a sip from her glass as Lurch took another glass of orange juice from the trolley and handed it the uncle. Fester pulled the cork off the vial with his teeth and poured the purple stuff into the fruit juice; making it bubble and smoke as he grinned. Lisa slowly put her glass down as she stared at him taking a sip of the orange juice turned science experiment; steam coming out of ears and nose.

"Just the way I like it." He said before he noticed Lisa and her untouched breakfast. "Aren't you gonna eat your food?"

Lisa quickly realized she was staring before remembering how hungry she was.

"Almost forgot." She stopped staring at the man and took a spoonful of porridge.

Wednesday tilted her head a bit as she and Pugsley looked at their guest. The two children wandered where exactly she came from; even though already Pugsley looked at her ID.

"If you don't mind being asked, Miss Lisa; where are you from?" Wednesday questioned before taking a small bite from her bacon.

Lisa finished swallowing the porridge already in her mouth before answering.

"I'm from Brooklyn." She answered before taking a sip from her or orange juice.

"Brooklyn, New York?" Gomez asked; getting a nod from Lisa. "Ah, yes. I knew a very nice man from there once. Don Rivoni his name was. Always could make an offer you couldn't refuse."

"Was he a type of sales person?" Lisa asked out curiosity.

"He was head of a mafia family." Morticia answered with a fond look.

Lisa blinked with wide eyes when the word mafia was mentioned. She wondered if the Addamses were secretly some kind of mafia family. But she quickly dismissed the thought.

"Well I never met anybody from the mafia. I grew up in a pretty safe neighbourhood." She further explained as she played with her porridge. "At least that's how I thought of it before I moved out for college."

"College, eh? That takes me back. Do they still put you in the stocks as a punishment?" Grandmama asked with a reminiscent tone.

"...I wouldn't know. I never had that happen to me. I finished college a few years ago anyway."

"What did you study?" Morticia asked in curiosity.

"I went into visual arts."

Morticia put her hand to her chin in surprised delight as the young lady mentioned one of her interests.

"You're an artist?" Mrs Addams asked.

Lisa just shrugged as she held her half empty glass of orange juice.

"Kinda." She said vaguely before taking a sip.

"Morticia is quite the artist herself. When you have some time, you two could compare your works and give each other pointers." Gomez complimented his beloveds artistic gift.

"Darling, you have me blushed." Morticia teased her husband with an adoring look.

Lisa watched as the husband and wife gave each other looks of pure affection. The two of them were attracted to each other like magnets. It was almost strange to see. She did not think it was bad or wrong; she just did not see it that much anywhere anymore. Going back to the subject at hand, she replied to Gomez's idea.

"I don't really have anything that could be anything to write home about." Lisa under sold herself as she reached for the orange powder that she thought was a bowl of cinnamon. "All I have on me is my sketchbook and I barely had any time to pack."

Wednesday raised a brow at the statement before asking another question.

"Why didn't you have time to pack?" The girl with the noose braids asked as Lisa sprinkled the orange powder on her porridge.

Lisa froze when Wednesday asked her that question. Everyone quickly noticed how she almost showed a frightful expression. But she quickly composed herself as she quickly came up with an answer.

"Well, I have a really bad habit where I leave things til the last minute; I procrastinate." She explained with a nervous smile. "I only packed whatever I grabbed first in my wardrobe, and whatever I thought was important but still small enough to pack. Like I've only brought five changes of clothes."

"Oh, dear. If you're going to stay here for as long as you said last night, you're more than welcome to put your laundry in with ours." Morticia suggested. "It would be unfair to just let you walk around in dirty clothes for days on end."

"But if you have anything that's bright coloured, it's gonna have to be in a separate wash or all our blacks will get ruined." Grandmama warned with a grimace.

"I don't have anything too bright, so you don't have to worry." Lisa reassured as she dug into her piece of hog bacon.

Wednesday and Pugsley both raised a brow in mild suspension; thinking her words about procrastinating seemed a bit fake. Wednesday was about to ask another question. But the sound of sound of a loud gong erupted and shook the house; making Lisa almost choke on her food as she held onto the table.

"What is that!?" She questioned with a shriek.

"That's just the doorbell. Don't worry; Lurch will get it." Gomez reassured as he got up from his seat.

Lisa turned around to where they butler was standing; thinking he was still there. But he was gone. She looked around in confusion; trying to think of how such a giant like him could move so quickly without anyone noticing.

"Miss Parker..."

Everyone including Lisa turned to the entrance of the dining room to see Lurch standing there with a black backpack in his hands. But everyone had their attention on the young girl standing next to him. Lisa observed the new face. She looked like she was around Wednesday's age and dressed in similar fashion to her with a black denim vest and t-shirt with black jeans with tearing in the knees. Her short hair was dyed black; but bits of brunette were peeking out from the roots.

"Well good morning to you, Parker." Mrs Addams greeted as Wednesday finished her breakfast and got out of her seat at the table. "Time for school already?"

"I wish it wasn't; I'll tell you that much." Parker replied as she adjusted her bag before turning to Wednesday. "Wednesday; Carrie and Sherrie are waiting with their mom in the car. You ready to go or what?"

"I've been ready for an eternity." Wednesday quickly grabbed her bag from Lurch and wished goodbye to her family until later.

"Have a terrible day at School, my little raven." Morticia said goodbye to her daughter.

"Do your worst!" Gomez added with encouragement.

"Get into a lot of trouble!" Fester also added as Lurch led the two kids to the front door.

Lisa raised a brow at the adults encouraging the young girl to get into trouble at School. But she quickly turned her attention to Pugsley; who was still eating his breakfast.

"How come you're not going with your sister to school?" She asked out of curiosity.

"Oh, I'm cage schooled. I'm not going to junior high until next year." Pugsley clarified as he finished his breakfast.

"Speaking of which." Gomez quickly ducked under the table and took out a large pet carrying cage. "First Class is now in session!"

In a split second, Pugsley jumped out of his chair and ran out of the room on all fours as Gomez and Fester started chasing after him; disappearing around the corner. Lisa looked on with wide eyes as she heard Fester shouting something about a tranquiliser and Pugsley growling like a ferocious animal. Lisa shook her head before taking a mouthful of her now seasoned porridge. But she blinked in confusion when she noticed no change in the taste.

"Hey, Why's your cinnamon bland?" She questioned after swallowing her food.

Morticia just gave Lisa a confused look before Grandmama clarified.

"Oh, that's not cinnamon; that's nine-alarm chili powder." The elder clarified with an eerie grin.

Lisa raised a brow at the woman in confusion. But she quickly realized what she meant when she felt her face turning red and a wave of sweat coming over her; making her drop her spoon on her table. Then she felt a slow wave of heat on her tongue before she felt like her mouth was on fire.

* * *

Wednesday climbed into Carrie and Sherrie's mom's car as they heard the sound of a woman screaming inside the house. Carrie and Sherrie's mother flinched at the noise and looked at the house behind the gate with wide eyes.

"What was that?" The woman in the driver's seat questioned with her hand on her chest in fright.

"I guess someone can't handle nine alarm chili powder on their porridge." Wednesday guessed as she climbed into the backseat between the twins.

Their mother blinked with a look of confused horror as Parker climbed into the front passenger seat.

"Don't worry about it, mom. It's nothing to worry over." Carrie and Sherrie reassured their mother in unison.

The twins mother took a deep breath of worry as she shook her head. The Addamses were nice people. But even after a year of having them and their relatives in town now, it still took a bit of getting used to their ways of life. Shifting the car in drive, the car began its short journey to the school as it went through the gate. As the rain pelted against the windows and the wind shield wipers wiped away the water, Carrie and Sherrie started talking to their friend in between them.

"We found some more sound effects online that we could use for the play, Wednesday." Carrie spoke with a hint of enthusiasm.

"But we still haven't found a good backing track to go with it." Sherrie added with a slightly saddened tone.

Wednesday only nodded as she thought of what to say to the twins.

Even after what happened with the town and the Addams family, Wednesday was still going to the school with Parker and the twins; finding it to be a welcomed change in her horrific and dark life. And with her there, bullies and bullying seemed to almost disappear entirely. Mostly because they would end up with a good serving of revenge dealt by Wednesday herself. Gomez and Morticia had no objections to it. In fact, even all their relatives with kids thought about enrolling their children after they moved into town; thinking Wednesday could lead a good Addamsish example. The town was even in the middle of voting to change its name from Assimilation to something else. Maybe something that did not sound like it had grim or unsettling undertones. After being in school for a year, Wednesday discovered an in-school cult that the students and teachers called, drama club.

Even after she found out it was not actually a cult, she decided to stay and participate; even encouraging Parker, Carrie and Sherrie to join her. After being in the club for a year, it was time for the students to do a showcase of what they learned and put on their own little productions. Some of the groups decided on scenes from different Broadway shows or parts from Shakespeare's work. Wednesday and her group decided on Edgar Allan Poe's, the Raven.

"That's good progress. But we need to work hard." Wednesday spoke unemotionally yet sternly at once. "Next Thursday may seem like an eternity away, but it will be here before you know it."

"I've got most of my lines down, Wed; don't sweat." Parker said with an undertone of chill. "I still need to practice in costume though."

"We can do a dress rehearsal after school. I asked father if we could use the playroom and he said yes." Wednesday informed as she looked out the window.

Parker nodded as the twins made noises of delight; their mother telling them the time she would pick them up. Parker watched the traffic light above them turn red as the car stopped. She watched as one of Wednesday's relatives walked across the road with a large umbrella over their head; held up by two of their four arms. Seeing them made Parker turn her head to face Wednesday; having a question for her.

"Hey, who was that lady in your house this morning?" The teen asked; thinking of the stranger she saw in the Addams household.

Wednesday blinked as Parker asked her question while Carrie and Sherrie fell silent to listen to her answer.

"We have a guest staying with us. Her name is Lisa Moaney." Wednesday answered with what she knew.

"She's not a cousin or aunt?" Parker questioned further upon not hearing the Addams name.

Wednesday shook her head in response.

"Lurch found her comatose outside yesterday morning and brought her in." Wednesday recalled what happened the day before today. "I'm not really sure how she got there. I think she might be a backpacker or a hitchhiker."

"Oh, you gotta be careful with hitchhikers." Sherrie warns as she played with her seatbelt.

"I heard about this one guy who picked up one on a highway in a desert. No one ever saw him again." Carrie added with a short story.

"The driver or the hitchhiker?" Sherrie asked for clarification.

Carrie opened and closed her mouth as she tried to answer the question. But she just scratched her head in confusion.

"I forgot." The twin said bluntly.

"I doubt she could make anyone disappear." Wednesday quickly went back on the subject of Lisa. "Then again; a homicidal maniac can look just like anyone else. And she's always hesitant to answer when someone asks something about herself ad when she does, she always puts on a nervous looking smile."

"What's this about homicidal maniacs?" The twins mother questioned as she focused on the now green light and moved the car forward.

"Nothing, mom." Carrie and Sherrie said in unison.

"Maybe you should wait until she trusts you a little more. Like wait until she thinks she's comfortable enough to open up." Parker suggested.

Wednesday put her hand to her chin in thought over Parkers' suggestion.

"Perhaps." Wednesday thought out loud. "Still. It is a bit suspicious for my liking."

* * *

**AN: I know those two girls were only in the movie for like two seconds and served no purpose at all... But I decided to name them and give them purpose, so yeah. Their names are Carrie and Sherrie and they each share a brain cell between the two of them.**

**Hope you enjoyed this chapter. If you could take the time to leave a comment, I'd really appreciate it.**


	5. Hair-dye and Conversation

Lisa groaned painfully as she brushed her teeth; feeling the after burn of that nine-alarm chilli powder on her tongue. She made a mental note to herself.  
'While staying In this house, ask what something is before eating it.'  
After she rinsed her mouth and finished, she looked in the mirror to see the messed up tangled bush that was her hair; a look of disgust on her face as she got her fingers caught in a knot.  
She closed her eyes as she pulled them out; taking a couple of tangled strands with them. Letting out a short groan of frustration, she walked out of the bathroom with her toothbrush and stomped back to her room to find a hairbrush. Ten minutes of searching resulted in nothing. Maybe Mrs Addams had one she could borrow. With that in mind, Lisa made her way out of the room and downstairs to the living room to look for Mrs Addams.

"Mrs Addams?" Lisa called out as she looked around for the pale woman.

Lisa decided to try somewhere else as she walked past on odd looking plant. She was about to take another step when she noticed something wrapping around her ankle. Before she could react properly, she was swept off the floor; letting out a scream of shock as everything went upside down. Lisa looked with horror as she realized she was being held up by some kind of mutant plant.

"Stop! Put me down!" She shouted out as the plant started tossing her around and catching her with its moving vines.

Lisa was tossed into the air again; but was able to grab onto a noose hanging from the ceiling. The plant grabbed her by the ankle again and pulled on her and the noose; making a loud gong sound like the doorbell. In a matter of seconds, Lurch came into the room; thinking he was being called for a request.

"You ra-"

Lurch could not finish his sentence when he saw Lisa being pulled and tossed like a rag doll by the plant; the girl screaming and begging for it to stop and making the bell ring a few times. Quickly realising what was happening, Lurch ran to the plant; grabbing it by the vines and telling it to stop. After a few seconds the plant slowly let go of Lisa and let its vines down; leaving her hanging onto the noose for dear life.  
Lisa breathed heavily as she watched Lurch come her way; thinking he was going to be mad at her for going near the plant. But he did not get mad. He just held his arms out as he stood under the noose. Lisa looked with nervous confusion as he just held his arms out; realising he wanted her to jump into them. Thinking she was in a lot of trouble, Lisa did as he silently asked and let go of the rope; falling down and landing in the butler's waiting arms with a terrified squeak. Lurch waited for her to calm down a bit before asking if she was okay.

"Are you hurt?" He asked in his slow speech.

Lisa could only shake her head quickly as the giant stared at her with his tired looking yellow and brown eyes. The pair did not hear footsteps as someone came in.

"Lurch; what's going on in here?" The two people heard Morticia question as the butler turned around to see her standing in the doorway.

Morticia blinked as she saw Lisa being held bridal style by the butler. But she quickly dismissed it and went back to the topic at hand.

"I heard screaming and the bell being rung at least four times. Is something wrong?" Mrs Addams asked when she noticed the plant being weird.

"Cleopatra wants food." Lurch said in his deep voice.

Lisa stared at him with a look of shock as she thought 'That thing's a she?'. Morticia quickly realized what happened and walked up to the pair.

"I'm terribly sorry, Ms Lisa. Cleopatra can get quite rowdy and demanding when she's hungry." She apologized before turning her attention to Lurch. "Lurch, please place Miss Lisa on the sofa in the living room so she can rest and go prepare some hamburger meat for Cleopatra."

"Yes, Mrs Addams." Lurch acknowledged the request and made his way into the living room as Lisa held onto him.

Lisa watched Mrs Addams followed them into the living room and sat down at her chair. Lurch gently placed Lisa on the sofa as she let go of him. The nervous young lady watched as Lurch looked at her for a brief moment before walking off to feed Cleopatra.

"I hope Cleopatra didn't toss you around too much. African Stranglers can get quite aggressive when they're hungry or bored." Morticia apologized again before knocking a box sitting next to her.

Lisa was about to say in response, but Thing came out of the box as it opened; making her quickly shut her mouth.

"Thing, would you mind getting some tea for me and Ms Lisa?" Mrs Addams asked the dismembered hand.

Thing began taping on the table in response while Mrs Addams listened closely; turning back to Lisa when he finished.

"Thing wants to know what kind of tea you would like." Morticia informed.

Lisa stared as the hand waved at her. But she quickly made a decision.

"I... I like green tea." She looked shuddered as she continued to stare.

"One henbane and one green tea, Thing." Morticia spoke like she was ordering at a cafe.

Thing gave the woman an thumbs up before jumping off the table and crawling to the kitchen at lightning speed. Lisa slowly turned her attention to Mrs Addams as she took out a piece of knitting She was currently working on.

"How does he hear you?" Lisa asked.

Morticia lifted her head up and blinked.

"Pardon, dear?" She asked; not hearing the question properly.

"Thing. How can he hear you when you talk to him?" Lisa asked; taking about his lack of ears. Or lack of a proper body in general.

"Oh Thing is a very good listener. And he's quite the expert in Morse code. He did a presentation about it at Wednesdays school just last week." Morticia spoke dearly of the sentient hand.

Lisa did not think Mrs Addams really understood what she meant. But she chose not to discuss it any further as Morticia started talking some more.

"So, how are you today? Are you feeling better than you were yesterday?" She asked with her eyes on her knitting.

"My head doesn't hurt so much now, I guess." Lisa answered honestly as she rubbed her head for the sore spot; quickly remembering what she was going to ask Morticia for.

Before Lisa could say anything else, Thing came back into the living room on his fingertips with a serving tray with tea on the top of his wrist for the two women. Morticia quickly noticed and gave the hand a grateful smile.

"Thank you, Thing." Morticia thanked him as she took her cup of henbane tea off the tray.

Lisa sat still as Thing came towards her with the green tea she said she liked. She told the truth; she did like green tea when it was freshly made. But she never thought she would have a dismembered hand offering it to her. Thinking leaving him waiting would be a bad idea, she quickly but carefully took the cup off the tray. She thought he might go away, but he just sat there for a few seconds before she quickly realized what he was waiting for.

"Uh... Thank you?" Lisa thanked him.

With that, Thing just put the tray on a nearby table and ran off to do something else.

"Well, I do hope you're enjoying your stay here. That guestroom hasn't had much use for a few mouths." Morticia tried to strike up a conversation.

Lisa took a sip of her tea before responding in a slightly saddened tone.

"I hope I don't come off as ungrateful, Mrs Addams. I really do appreciate what you and your family are doing for me." She began to spoke lightly before getting a little serious. "But I don't really have anything to pay you back with and I've barely got any money. I can do chores around the house or maybe I can-"

Morticia just shook her head before interrupting.

"Dear, It's not a problem at all. Giving someone in need a place to stay and get their bearings is good enough for us." The woman in black insisted. "If you really want to do chores or maybe help around the house, that's perfectly fine. But don't think you owe us anything. Stay as long as you need to."

Lisa shank into her seat a little bit after hearing Morticia say all that. She knew Mrs Addams meant well. But Lisa did not feel like any less of a burden on these strangers. Morticia did not notice Lisa's slightly saddened look. But she did notice her tangled hair.

"You know, I keep thinking you almost look like cousin It." Morticia spoke fondly before taking a sip from her tea.

Lisa looked up with a raised brow as she stared at Morticia and her voice of words.

"Cousin what?" She asked with confusion in her voice.

"Not what; It." Morticia corrected before explaining. "One of our relatives that lives down in town. He's coming to visit this afternoon to help Wednesday and her friends with a school project they're working. He has a very similar hair style to yours."

Lisa's cheeks went pink as she looked another way and felt her hair.

"You noticed, huh?" She asked.

"It suits you very well." Morticia thought she was complimenting her.

Lisa finished her tea with a sour look on her face. She thought about asking for a hairbrush now; but something else came out of her mouth.

"Well I hate having long hair." She suddenly spoke with a venomous tone; mildly surprising Morticia before she continued. "It's too much to take care of and it gets into my nose and mouth on a windy day."

Morticia raised a brow as she finished her tea and put her cup aside.

"Why haven't you had it cut if you don't like it that way?" She asked curiously.

Lisa's annoyed face quickly softened and turned into a face of mild worry. She played with her pyjama shirt as she quickly thought of what to say.

"Well, I've been busy with other things. I haven't had a lot of time; hairdressers are always booked out and I don't really trust myself or anybody to cut my hair." Lisa spoke with an answer she hoped Mrs Addams would believe.

Morticia blinked in thought for a moment before standing up out of her chair.

"Really? Well maybe I could give you a haircut."

Lisa froze in surprise as Mrs Addams made the offer. Lisa looked back and forth between the woman and one of her many tangles before speaking again.

"You serious?" She asked before giving Morticia a disbelieving look. "I was just going to ask you if I could borrow a hairbrush."

"I don't mean any offence, Lisa; but I think a hairbrush might do more harm than good." Morticia pointed out as she came over to her.

Lisa would have been slightly offended if she did not already look in a mirror. She gave Morticia a look of uncertainty as she played with a tangle.

"Have you done it before?" She asked cautiously; not wanting anything bad happening to her or her head.

"I've been cutting Wednesday and Pugsleys hair for years. But I should warn you; the scissors that I use are cursed." Mrs Addams advised; making Lisa stare at her with wide eyes. "Let's go down to the playroom. Mama might be down there working on her potions; but she won't mind having us down there."

Lisa hesitantly got up as Morticia asked her to follow her; putting her cup on the tray Thing brought it in on. Swallowing a mouthful of built up nervous saliva, Lisa followed Morticia into the foyer and down a set of stairs. As the women descended down the steps, Lisa noticed that Morticias walk did not really look like a walk at all. It looked more like the glide of a ghost. Not that she really believed in ghosts. Just as they reached the bottom, an explosion could be heard above; shaking the room and making Lisa grab the wall for steadiness.

"Let me guess. Pugsley?" Lisa tried to sound like she was used to the sound of explosives as she talked in a mildly sarcastic tone.

"Yes, I believe it's recess time for cage school." Morticia recalled as she saw Grandmama mixing something in a cauldron.

Grandmama looked up from whatever concoction she was brewing as she heard Morticia speak.

"Fancy seeing you here, Morticia. Want to try some bog water soup?" The elderly lady offered a spoon of green liquid.

"Perhaps later, Mama. I'm just going to Lisa a haircut." Morticia politely declined the offer.

Grandmama looked behind her daughter in law to see the wild haired lady standing there.

"That's Lisa? I thought Cousin It grew a few inches." Grandmama commented.

Lisa was not paying attention as Morticia began to set up a spot to cut her hair while having a conversation with Grandmama. Lisa had her attention on all the old torture devices in the room; just when she did not think this place could get any more like a horror movie. A rack was sitting in the corner with an iron maiden, a pair of stocks across the room, a bed of nails and many other torture devices that she never seen or know of. This whole room made Lisa feel on edge. She wanted to run back upstairs.

"Ms Lisa."

But Lisa quickly snapped out of it as Morticia called her out. She quickly saw Morticia standing next to a stool with a large towel and old sheet in her hands as she motioned for Lisa to get on the seat.  
Lisa wanted to run back up the stairs and get out of this museum of a torture chamber. But that one part of her brain kept telling her that it would be rude to leave right now. Taking a deep breath, Lisa ran and sat on the stool and gripped the seat so she would not run off.

"All right, now I'll Just put this on you and adjust it so no loose hair falls into your collar." Morticia said as she put the towel and sheet under Lisa's neck; tightening it very slightly.

Lisa made a quiet squeak as she felt the fabric being tightened around her neck. She watched as Morticia opened a nearby draw; putting her hand in to take something out. Lisa braced herself for whatever torture device Morticia was going to use on her. But to her surprise, Morticia took out an actually, normal looking pair of scissors. Lisa's stared at them as Morticia came back over; expecting a giant pair of blood-stained garden shears or one of those chest-pulling torture devices from the dark ages.

"I thought you said the scissors were cursed." Lisa recalled as Morticia positioned her for the first cut.

"They are. They're mind reading scissors." Morticia explained rather bluntly.

"Wait, what!?" Lisa questioned as she moved her head quickly; making Morticia move her back with a warning.

"Yeah; those scissors read your thoughts on what kind of style you would want most and gives you the cut by themselves." Grandmama explained further as she poured herself a cup of bog water soup. "But they only do it if you say a certain word. Can't remember what it is though."

Morticia was about to cut a couple of strands off when Lisa responded to Grandmama.

"Oh, so it's basically like my mom's Wi-Fi password." She replied with a slight chuckle.

Morticia would have laughed along with Lisa and Mama. But all that came out was a gasp when the scissors started glowing bright red.

"Oh dear." She unemotionally muttered.

"What's the matter?" Lisa asked as she heard Morticia say something.

Grandmama let out a quiet uh oh when Morticia threw the scissors across the room; seeing them glowing red as demonic chanting started coming out of nowhere. Lisa turned around in time to see the scissors levitating above the floor as the demonic chanting continued; making her let out a short shriek. Grandmama snapped her fingers as she remembered something.

"Now I remember! Password is the word!" The elder witch spoke with delight in her voice.

Grandmama quickly got out of the way as the scissors flew in her direction; on the prowl for hair to cut. Lisa made a nervous whimpering sound as the scissors started flying around the room in random directions. Morticia quickly bent backwards as the scissors almost flew through her head; missing it by a mere second. It stopped for a moment as It recuperated and searched for a target. Lisa tried to run, but the sheet Morticia tied around her got caught on her feet and made her trip; plummeting to the floor.  
The floating scissors immediately turned in her exact direction as she struggled to get up. Morticia quickly realized what was about to happen.

"Lisa, look-!"

It was too late. The scissors charged at Lisa as she turned around; slicing off a large amount of hair from the side of her head. She grabbed the handle as they began cutting away at her tangles. Lisa began screaming and yelling for them to stop as she struggled to get away. Morticia and Grandmama could only watch the blur of sliced hair and a flailing sheet accompanied by fearful screaming as Lisa failed to fight off the cursed object.  
The screaming soon turned into whimpering as the scissors fell to the floor and their red glow dimed down to nothing. Morticia gave Grandmama a worrisome look while Grandmama just shrugged. Morticia grabbed a mirror with a large crack in it and quickly made her way to Lisa as she continued to whimper on the floor with the towel and sheet over her form. Morticia took the covering off from Lisa's shivering form; the young lady looking up at her with half blind vision.

"A-am I d-dead?" Lisa asked with a horrified shudder.

Morticia was unsure how to respond to the question. She opened and closed her mouth a couple of times; but nothing came out. She just decided to hold the mirror in front of her so Lisa could get a good and proper look.

Grandmama and Morticia watched in silence as Lisa's scared expression softened as she looked in the mirror. Lisa took the sheet and towel off as she slowly got up off the floor; staring at the almost unrecognizable woman looking back at her as she adjusted her glasses. The wild and tangled bush of hair Lisa had before was now a short and boyish cut that stood up at the front with a spiky yet soft look while the back was v shaped at a neat, tidy and manageable length; even showing her ears and revealing they were pierced with sleepers in them.

"I'm so sorry, Lisa." Morticia apologized as Lisa stared at the mirror. "I should have realized something like that would happen; I didn't mean to put you through-"

"I love it."

Morticia fell silent again as she heard Lisa say the opposite of what she thought she was going to say.

"Pardon?" Mrs Addams asked for her to repeat while Grandmama leaned against the iron maiden to watch.

Lisa had a smile creeping onto her face as she moved her hand through her new hair; feeling no tangles or knots.

"I don't feel like my neck is being weighed down anymore. It feels so good!" She said with a joyful smile on her face. "This is exactly how I've wanted it for so long!"

"Yep. Those scissors could put the local barber out of business if they wanted to too." Grandmama commented before looking up in thought. "But I'm not sure why they glowed red like that. They last time that happened they turned green and cousin Blunt said he wanted to dye his hair."

Morticia blinked In question before looking at Lisa; who also had a mildly confused look on her face.

"Well... I've wondered what I'd look like with red hair." Lisa admitted as she scratched the back of her neck. "I mean like, really red. Like Christmas or blood red."

Morticia thought for a moment as Grandmama intervened.

"Didn't one of the ladies from those school cult meetings give you red hair dye for Christmas last year, Morticia?" The elderly witch asked before looking through a nearby cupboard.

"They did. I don't think I ever used it. It probably wouldn't come right out anyway." Morticia recalled before looking back at Lisa. "It's sitting around here somewhere. We should put it to use."

Lisa blinked as Morticia gave her a look of silent encouragement. Lisa began shaking her head as she straightened herself out.

"Mrs Addams, I appreciate what you're doing for me; but I can't-"

Morticia put her finger over Lisa's lips; making her silent before politely insisting.

"Miss Lisa; I don't know who or what has been preventing you from giving yourself the appearance you desire. But I can tell you that in this house, you are allowed to do as you please. Within reason of course." Morticia explained before gently taking Lisa's hand. "What I'm saying is, don't think of yourself as a stranger while you're here. Think of yourself as one of the family."

Lisa stood silently as she took Morticia's words to thought. She kept thinking she was being a burden to the Addamses while she was here; staying for longer then she planned because of the blasted rainy and stormy weather. But hearing Morticia say that made her reconsider those thoughts. Lisa wanted nothing more than to be herself. But she was not sure if she was ready to go there completely. Looking at the ground as she tapped the floor with her heel, Lisa spoke up.

"I guess I could use a dye job." She said quietly; thinking Mrs Addams probably did not hear her.

"Then let's get started!" Morticia spoke with mild anticipation as she led Lisa back to the chair. "Let me just get a pair of gloves."

"I'll get a bucket to wash the dye out with." Grandmama said as she ran upstairs.

Lisa made a quiet noise of uncertainty as Morticia began setting up; shaking any loose hairs off the towel to cover Lisa's clothes from the dye and grabbing the blood red hair dye from a cupboard next to the rack.

"Have you done this before?" Lisa asked cautiously as she played with her shirt under the towel.

"I did this on Gomez once, but it was with toxic waste instead. He glowed green for an entire month." Morticia explained as she took the dye out of the box it came in.

Lisa could only put on a face that said 'I want to be shocked and scared, but I can't be bothered anymore.' She watched as Morticia came over with the red gunk in a bottle; ready to apply it before she thought of something.

"I may have to take your glasses off while we're doing this. Is that alright with you?" Morticia asked Lisa for her consent.

"Do whatever you need to, Mrs Addams." Lisa spoke indifferently as she sat still on the stool.

Morticia opened the bottle of dye and squeeze a generous amount of it into her hand; applying it to Lisa's head and began rubbing it in. After a couple of seconds, Morticia decided it was a bit too quiet for her liking. So, she began to talk.

"You don't have to keep calling me Mrs Addams. You can just call me Morticia." Mrs Addams said as she continued rubbing the dye into Lisa's brunette hair.

"I just don't wanna be rude. And we only met yesterday." Lisa spoke meekly as she looked at the blurry floor.

"Like I said; you're not a stranger in this house. You can be like one of the family. The same goes for Mr Addams as well."

Lisa lightly shrugged as she tilted her head back.

"Okay, Mrs- I mean, Morticia." She quickly corrected herself; making Morticia tell her to be still.

Lisa went back to being still, but the smell of the dye was getting to her nose.

"Jeez; this stuff smells toxic." She commented as Morticia began dying the front of her hair.

"I know. It's a lovely aroma, isn't it?" Morticia replied with a very subtle smile; making Lisa raise a brow at her comment.

Lisa decided to change the subject and talked about something else.

"So, how'd you get a name like Morticia? Something your parents came up with?" She asked as Morticia moved her head slightly to the left.

"Oh my mother and father had so many names that they thought of for me. They actually thought I was going to be a boy and thought of naming me Mortimer." Morticia explained with a hint of reminisce and fondness in her voice. "But I came out a lady, they went with Morticia and the rest is history."

Morticia's look of fondness was replaced with an inquisitive stare as she thought of a question for Lisa.

"I've meaning to ask you. Do you have a family?" The woman in black asked; knowing Lisa was giving her a slightly weirded-out look. "I was just a bit curious because you haven't said anything about it."

Lisa blinked as she thought of what to say.

"I do have a family. I used to live with my mom and brother in Brooklyn before I went to college." Lisa began to explain.

"What are they like?" Morticia asked; almost feeling proud that she finally got the young lady to tell something about herself.

"Well my mom has a job at a local movie theatre. Lest that's what she was doing last time I talked to her and my brother Teddy works at a gym as a yoga teacher. They're both pretty great. Teddy's a couple of years older than me. And a lot taller; but not as tall as your butler. He still lives with mom cause apartments are pretty expensive nowadays. But mom doesn't mind. She likes the company; specially after I went to college. I have a grandma too, but she lives in Florida-"

Morticia listened as Lisa talked about her family. But she quickly noticed something a bit odd. She left something out.

"What about your father?" Morticia took her hands away as she asked the question.

Lisa quickly fell silent and turned to look at Morticia; even if all she saw was a skinny blur.

"What?" She asked for Morticia to repeat.

"I just noticed that you aren't talking about your father."

Lisa blinked before slowly turning away; not expecting Morticia to ask that out of the blue. But she knew she had to be honest. If she did not get it off her chest it would be bad for her in the long run.

"My dad... he's not exactly around." Lisa began to explain before taking a deep breath. "He died when I was in high school."

Morticia silently gasped at Lisa's words; taken back by something she did not expect.

"You poor dear." Morticia sympathized with her as she took off her dye stained gloves.

"It's not so bad. Honestly the way it happened; it was best to let him go." Lisa explained quite vaguely.

"... don't answer this if you don't want to. But how did he die?" Morticia asked as gently as she could.

Lisa looked up at her again before answering.

"He had a massive aneurysm in his brain that burst and made him have a stroke. We had to put him on life support. The doctor said it would be best to unplug him and let it happen. Honestly, Teddy and I took it hard, but mom took it harder. She and dad were like you and Gomez."

Morticia put her hand to chest as she blinked in surprise.

"How so?" She asked with concerned interest.

"They loved each other. I mean, dad didn't kiss her every time she spoke French; but he treated her like a queen and she loved him like there was no tomorrow." Lisa explained further so Morticia could see the similarities. "She was crushed when he died; I don't think she'll ever be over it."

"Oh, dear; no one ever gets over losing a loved one. It's a cruel truth that can never be understood in its entirety."

Lisa sighed as she looked down to the floor; thinking about how much she missed her dad.

"I just wish I could talk to him; just once." She spoke with a small hint of melancholy in her voice.

Morticia silently agreed with her. But her pale complexion glowed ominously as she came up with an idea.

"You know, my parents have actually been dead for quite some time." She spoke with empathy towards Lisa.

"I'm sorry to hear that." Sorry returned the tone.

But Morticia had that little knowing smile on her face that almost was not a smile.

"But, I still talk to them."

Lisa looked up at Morticia as she said that almost cryptic sentence out of nowhere.

"I'm sorry; what?" Lisa felt like she did not hear her properly.

"Every once in a while, I preform a seance and commune with my mother and father. It gets a bit difficult when they forget how to talk through the crystal ball; but they figure it out eventually." Morticia explained with little detail.

Lisa could only look at her like she had an extra eye on her forehead.

"I can't tell if you're joking or not." She said with brutal honesty.

"No at all, dear." Morticia reassured while gently shaking her head.

Before Lisa could say anything else, Grandmama came back downstairs with a bucket of water to wash the dye off with.

"I'm back with the water; did I miss anything?" The old woman asked as she got it ready to use.

"I was just going to ask Lisa if she wanted to talk to her father through a seance." Morticia told Grandmama what she was going to say.

Lisa let out a light gasp as Morticia spoke those words; still unsure if she was telling the truth.

"You can do that?" She questioned almost anxiously. "When can we do it?"

"Weather man said there's going to be a heavy down pour tomorrow afternoon. That would be a good time for it." Grandmama suggested as she put on a pair of gloves like Morticia had on before.

"Yes; and there's a good chance of lightning too. Perfect for a seance in the backyard." Morticia smiled at the thought of a storm.

Lisa fidgeted in her seat at the mention of lightning.

"Isn't it a little dangerous to do that outside during a storm?" She asked out of concern and nervousness.

"Oh, Not at all. Seances have a better chance working with thunder and lightning." Morticia explained as she moved over to Lisa and put her hands on her shoulders. "Now lean all the way down."

Lisa was confused for a moment before Morticia lowered her down on the back of the stool; putting her in a planking position with her head and hair close to the floor. Grandmama placed the bucket under her and started washing out the leftover dye; telling Lisa to keep her eyes shut. After a couple of minutes, Morticia helped Lisa back up and dried her now red hair with the towel. Grandmama just poured the now red water down a nearby drain as Morticia picked up the cracked mirror to show Lisa her new look.

"So what do you think?" Mrs Addams asked even though she could see the results.

Lisa just blinked as she saw nothing but blurry shapes before talking.

"I would tell you, but all I can see are blobs." She spoke with a shrug; hinting that she needed her glasses.

Morticia seemed confused for a moment before she quickly realized what Lisa meant.

"Oh I'm sorry dear, how could I forget." She quickly grabbed Lisa's glasses and handed them to her.

Lisa put them back on and looked in the mirror as her sight returned to her. Despite the crack in the mirror, she could see her hair in its new colour. Deep bloody rose red.

"Wow... I look so cool." She said as she looked at the side of head and her sleeper earrings.

"You look magnifique." Morticia complimented her in French.

Lisa noticed Morticia and Grandmama looking up at the ceiling as if they heard something. Morticia gently shook her head with a little smile as the sound of running footsteps could be heard.

"Hold this for me, dear." Morticia asked Lisa to hold the mirror as the footsteps got closer and louder.

Lisa looked on with confusion as Grandmama started counting down from five; the running footsteps getting very close. Before she could even make it to one, Gomez rammed into the room; Thing hanging onto his shoulder for dear life and making Lisa get off her seat and back away in shock. The man quickly spotted his wife; running to her side, grabbing her arm and kissing it.

"Cara Mia; that French. It's magnetising!" Mr Addams said in between kisses. "It sets my blood on fire!"

Lisa looked at the sight in amazement while Grandmama took out a watch.

"Well it looks like Gomez set a new record. He usually takes at least ten or seven seconds." The old woman commented as her son continued kissing his wife and begging her to speak more French words.

"You mean he does this on a regular basis?" Lisa asked with a raised brow.

"Several times a day, amie." Morticia answered; making Gomez kiss her more.

While this was happening, Lisa could hear another set of footsteps; these ones sounding bigger than Gomez. Lurch came into the room with an empty tray covered in leftover meat juices; his head looking down at the floor as he came in.

"Finished feeding Celopa-"

Lurch could not finish his sentence as he looked up; seeing Lisa and falling silent. Morticia and Gomez quickly noticed him and gave him their attention; noticing he was looking at Lisa from his spot in the doorway.

"Ah, Lurch. Grandmama and I just finished giving Miss Lisa a haircut. We even dyed her hair a lovely shade of red." Morticia pointed out as she stood beside Lisa. "What do you think?"

Lisa quickly noticed how Lurch was staring at her; his eyes slightly wider than normal. She tried not to be rude by giving him a nervous looking smile with a little wave like she was saying hi. Lurch blinked and stared as he stood there for a couple of seconds... Then he dropped the tray and ran out of the room. Lisa and the three Addamses blinked in confusion as the tray span on the floor for a few seconds. Thing quickly went into a nearby box; disappearing into It to follow the hulking butler.

"What's his problem?" Lisa asked with a raised brow.

"you'll just have to forgive Lurch. He's a bit shy when it comes to words." Morticia reassured Lisa as she picked up the tray.

"If he keeps dropping things like that, he'll need a good talking to." Grandmama warned as she took off her gloves and tossed them aside.

"Now come on, Mama. Lurch is very careful with our dinnerware. He's especially careful with the fine china." Gomez commented as he took out a cigar. "Unless we have Greek for dinner; then nobody has to worry about washing up."

* * *

Lurch quickly turned a corner in the living room as he took a couple of breathes; leaning on a nearby wall as he looked back. The butler let out a nervous groan as he thought about Lisa; thinking he was stupid for running off without saying a word. The butler flinched as he felt a tap on his right shoulder; quickly looking over to see Thing jumping off onto a little table beside him. Lurch watched as Thing started tapping to communicate with his friend.

"What's the matter?" Thing made a sentence in Morse code.

Lurch held his long arms together as tried to think of what to say with his limited vocabulary.

"Ms Lisa..." He said simply for a start.

"yeah, Morticia gave her a nice-looking makeover. Don't you like it?" Thing asked in Morse code; thinking that was the reason the butler ran off.

Lurch shook his head slowly; struggling to come up with an answer that did not sound too odd or weird for someone he barely knew.

"Looks... pretty."

Lurch looked in a different direction as Thing just sat there. Thing did not have a pair of eyes, but he noticed something a bit odd happening to the butlers face. It was gaining a faint hint of the colour red.

"Hey, you're blushing." The dismembered hand tapped out in Morse again; quickly getting Lurch's attention as the butler looked at him in annoyance.

"Am not." Lurch disagreed as he straightened himself out; knowing for a sure fact that never blushes.

Thing tapped out one more sentence in Morse before Lurch stopped paying attention.

"Are you sure?"

Lurch just groaned as he rolled his eyes the other way; going off to do some other work around the house to get his mind off the guest.

* * *

**AN: Lurch Blushing? It's more likely then you think. I probably won't be uploading too much over Christmas. if anybody ever comments on this, that would be a Christmas miracle. So Lurch is in denial about that 'faint hint of colour'. I wander why?**

**We will just have to see. So stay tuned.**


	6. She's Hiding Something

**AN: This chapter is a little short. the next one will be longer. And probably emotional for Lisa. I promise.**

* * *

Lisa tilted her head in confusion as she watched Mr Addams standing on his head while reading the newspaper in the middle of the living room. She could not imagine the position being too comfortable; but Mr Addams seemed okay with it. He even seemed relaxed and content. But Lisa could not help but ask as she held a ball of deep purple yarn that Morticia was knitting into a small kid sized sweater with two neck holes; deciding to help Mrs Addams with whatever she was doing for the day after giving Lisa a makeover.

"What do call that thing you're doing again?" She asked Mr Addams; tilting her head to get a more upright look at him.

"It's a little thing called Zen yogi, Ms Lisa." Gomez began to explain as Thing turned the page of the newspaper. "It's good for the mind and it's quite relaxing. This is only just one of many positions. I can teach you sometime if you like."

Lisa thought about Mr Addams's offer for a moment. But she gently shook her head.

"Maybe some other time." She politely declined the offer.

Gomez just lightly shrugged as he went back to his newspaper. Morticia slowed her knitting down as she turned to Lisa.

"Pass some more yarn, please?" The pale woman asked.

Lisa unravelled some more string from the yarn ball for Morticia to knit into the unfinished sweater. Lisa wondered who it was for; thinking it was too small for an adult.

"So, who's the sweater for?" She asked out of curiosity.

"It's for Uncle Floyd and Aunt Loris' twin children; Bimby and Tama." Morticia explained as she finished the left sleeve.

Lisa let out a playful smile; thinking the two kids were just the kind of kids that had a fight or two with each other every now and then.

"Ah, it's like one of those get along sweaters." She guessed with a nod.

"Oh no, they get along very well. They are conjoined at the middle after all." Morticia kindly clarified; making the smile on Lisa's face quickly turn into a bewildered look of confusion.

Before she could process what Morticia just said, the gong rang; meaning someone was ringing for Lurch or the someone was at the door. How these people could tell the difference was beyond Lisa and her understanding.

"Sounds like someone's at the door." Gomez said excitedly as he put his legs down and stood up.

"Wednesday and her friends must be home from school." Morticia added as she heard the door being answered by Lurch. "My; the day went quite fast today."

"It's three already?" Lisa questioned; realising she had not looked at a clock the entire day today.

Before anyone could say anything else, Lurch came into the living room with Wednesday, Parker, Carrie and Sherrie; all looking relieved to be out of that child prison called school.

"Welcome back girls!" Gomez greeted with open arms. "Did you have a terrible day at School?"

"The worst." Wednesday simply summed up as Lurch took her bag.

"I overheard a teacher saying we're going to have a fire drill next week after the rain stops." Parker added with a tone of annoyance in her voice.

"I found a quarter." Carrie said with a smile.

"That I dropped." Sherrie began to argue with her sister; making her poke out her tongue in response.

As if right on cue, Uncle Fester and Pugsley came into the room on a motorbike that roared loudly before coming to a screeching halt right next to the fireplace; the bold man explaining something to Pugsley as he got off the bike.

"And for tonight's homework, there is no homework! Do whatever you want!" Fester Instructed the boy before officially finishing cage school for today.

"Can do, Uncle Fester." Pugsley said as he took his helmet and goggles off.

Wednesday quickly walked over to Pugsley with a look of grim intent. Lisa watched worryingly as the girl with noose hair braids grabbed her brother by the ear with a tight grip; making him let out a small yelp of pain that he was used too.

"The girls and I need a word with you." Wednesday spoke with an unemotional yet stern tone of voice.

"I didn't give your homework to Kitty Kat; I swear." Pugsley pleaded as He looked at the girls. "Really; I didn't!"

Parker just looked at Carrie and Sherrie in confusion; making the twin girls shrug in response.

"To my room. Now." Wednesday pointed to the stairs; dragging Pugsley by the ear as the girls followed her.

"Wednesday; cousin It will be here soon." Morticia reminded her daughter of what was planned this afternoon.

Wednesday quickly had her eyes on Lisa before answering her mother; mentally taking note of the strangers changed appearance.

"This won't take too long, mother." Wednesday reassured her mother as the five children disappeared upstairs.

The grownups downstairs wondered what Wednesday and her friends were planning to do with Pugsley before Cousin It arrived to help them with their play.

"They're probably just going to lock him up somewhere. He can use those pointers I taught him from lock picking lessons today." Fester thought out loud; Morticia and Gomez nodding in agreement while Lisa gave the man a bewildered stare.

* * *

Pugsley rubbed his now sore ear in discomfort as Wednesday led him and her friends into her room; closing the door when all five were accounted for.

"Whatever I did, I didn't do it. You can't prove anything." Pugsley almost began to argue with his sister as she walked up to her bed.

"I would like to make you bet on that." Wednesday sat down before moving on. "But that's not why you're in here, Pugsley."

"Wait; you're not going to torture me for no reason?" Pugsley questioned with a tone of disappointment.

Wednesday shook her head no; making Pugsley cross his arms with a disappointed grunt while Parker and the twins had confused looks on their faces.

"So why are we standing here when we should be rehearsing our drama final?" Parker pointed out as she sat on the floor with her legs crossed.

Wednesday quickly looked to both her sides before she began to explain.

"It's about Lisa." The pale child started rather bluntly.

Carrie and Sherrie looked at each other with confused looks before looking back at Wednesday.

"Is she the lady you were talking about this morning?" Carrie asked as she sat down.

"The red-haired lady downstairs?" Sherrie asked as she sat beside her sister.

"She was a brunette when we came to pick you up this morning." Parker quickly remembered the woman sitting at the dining table and her changed appearance.

"Yeah; mom gave her a haircut and dyed her hair with that nice smelling stuff she got last Christmas." Pugsley butted in with an explanation. "I thought she was someone else when I saw her at lunch. And Lurch was avoiding eye contact with her for some reason."

"Well, I believe Lurch is right to avoid eye contact. I've come to the conclusion that she is not who she says she is." Wednesday announced her reasoning for bringing her brother and friends to her room.

Parker briefly looked at Wednesday like she had a bird sitting on her head before she spoke up.

"Okay, Wednesday; I know we haven't met this Lisa properly yet. But she doesn't look like a serial killer or whatever Carrie and Sherrie said this morning." The goth punk spoke her opinion with a reminder.

"The thing about the hitchhiker?" Carrie asked as she remembered this morning's conversation.

"I looked it up; it's the hitchhiker that disappeared, not the driver." Sherrie added.

"She might not be any of those things. But I don't think she's telling the truth." Wednesday clarified calmly.

Parker and the twins listened in interest while Pugsley asked what his sister meant.

"You think she's lying about herself?" The blond troublemaker asked further.

"When we asked her why she didn't have a lot of time to pack, she looked like she was afraid to answer and sounded like she just came up with something on the spot." Wednesday continued her explanation. "She's hiding something. And I doubt she's just going to tell the truth; even if we ask nicely."

"So, we should slip some of Grandmamas truth potion into her drink at dinner?" Pugsley suggested with a grin of dreadful delight.

"Afraid not. We used it up on Bethany last week."

The twins had disgusted looks on their faces as they recalled last week's incident.

"I knew she cheated on that math test." Sherrie said in a tone of disgust.

"And there's no shame in still sleeping with plushies. What's bad about that?!" Carrie questioned with the same tone.

"Guys, c'mon; we're not going to put drugs in her food or torture her so she might or might not tell us what she's actually doing or why she's here." Parker tried talking sense into the people around her. "You might as well go through her suitcase and you might not even find anything."

Wednesday blinked at Parker as an idea formed in her head. Parker quickly noticed her friend looking at her with a thousand-yard stare; unfazed by it unlike most people.

"Whatcha thinking about?" The goth punk wondered what was on Wednesdays mind.

"You're right." Wednesday spoke suddenly; everyone paying attention while Parker gave her a questionable look. "If we look through her backpack and suitcase; we can at least learn a little bit about her. Or see if she's hiding weapons or illegal substances."

Pugsley had a smile of excitement on his face while Carrie and Sherrie just shrugged indifferently. Parker gave Wednesday a look of uncertainty before quickly remembering how stubborn she could be at times.

"You do realise how wrong and invasive that is, right?" She pointed in a rather unsurprised tone.

"It wasn't wrong when we went through your mother's craft room and found out she had cameras hidden in everyone's homes." Wednesday reminded her friend of the incident when they first met a year ago.

Parker tried to think of something to say. But she just shrugged in response.

"Fair point. But how are we not going to get caught?" She asked about the most important part.

"You could do it tomorrow afternoon." Pugsley suggested before explaining. "I overheard mom saying that they're going to do a seance tomorrow during an afternoon thunderstorm."

Wednesday put her hand to her chin as she started thinking of a plan.

* * *

Lisa watched as Morticia continued knitting the conjoined twin sweater; using up a fair amount of the yarn while Gomez returned to doing his Zen yogi head stand.

"Have you ever done any knitting, Lisa?" Mrs Addams tried making a conversation.

"No. But my grandma likes to knit tea cosies and baby blankets for her local hospital." Lisa explained as she gave Morticia more yarn. "She tried to teach me how once. But it didn't stick."

Morticia nodded before the doorbell went off; bringing a knowing smile to her pale face.

"That must be Cousin It." Mrs Addams quickly assumed as Lurch answered the door before turning to Lisa. "I have a feeling you might along swimmingly with him."

Lisa wondered how exactly how she was going to get along with this It guy. Maybe Morticia thought they could be like secret twins and looked similar.

"Cousin It..."

Lisa turned her head as she heard Lurch announce the arrival of their guest; expecting a rather average looking person. But her eyes widened as she saw a short being with long hair that reached the floor and... Well mostly hair apart from a pair of sun glasses and a bowler hat. Mr Addams stood up and ran over to greet the strange creature; It only coming up to his knees. Lurch let out a quiet groan as he went upstairs to get Wednesday and her friends.

"Excellent to see you, good man!" Gomez hugged the long-haired individual like he had not seen him in forever. "Have you had those renovations done on house yet?"

"geishfiefh rdjwysy uejwhqva."

Lisa blinked as she heard a stream of gibberish in a high-pitched voice. But to the Addames, it was plain as English.

"You had a home theatre put in?" Morticia asked as she put her knitting down and stood up; making Lisa look up at her in confusion. "That sounds marvellous, It. We must come over some time and have a look."

Cousin It replied with another sentence of gibberish before noticing Lisa still sitting on the floor; still holding the ball of yarn with a gobsmacked look on her face.

"Jftd dhdd dbsws?"

Gomez and Morticia turned to Lisa and her quiet self; hearing Cousin It asking who she was.

"This is Lisa Moaney. She's staying with us for a while." Morticia explained.

"She's staying because of the rain and thunderstorms happening this week." Gomez added as he took out a cigar from his pocket and lit it.

Lisa watched as It spoke again; Morticia and Gomez listening closely.

"I know; we're having such lovely weather." Gomez fully agreed with his dear cousin.

Lisa braced herself as Cousin It shuffled towards her; only coming up to her eye level as she was still sitting on the floor. She watched as a hand with a cartoonish glove came out from under all that hair and reached out in front of her. Lisa quickly realized he was introducing himself when he spoke something in high pitched gibberish. Not wanting to be rude, she brought her hand out and shook his hand.

"How do ya do?" She greeted the hairy cousin with nervous smile; unsure of what to make of him.

Cousin just spoke another sentence of gibberish before Wednesday and her friends came down the stairs; Lurch not far behind them.

"Jgtxezibibio!" Cousin It greeted his little relative as she and her friends reached the bottom of the stairs.

"What's shaking, It." Parker greeted him with a high five while the twins just said hi."

"So, you know what we're doing for this rehearsal, Cousin?" Wednesday asked; making sure It remembered the reason he was here this afternoon.

Cousin It nodded as he spoke an intangible line of words while taking a director's cap and megaphone out of his hair; ready to help the girls with their play. Wednesday nodded in approval before turning to her mother to ask something.

"I'm sure rehearsal will go fine today, mother. But the girls may need to come over again after school tomorrow. Is that okay with you?" The pale child asked; thinking she probably did not really need to.

"Of course, Wednesday dear. That's perfectly fine. But I might be busy tomorrow afternoon because I'll be helping Ms Lisa preform a seance." Morticia explained with approval.

"You kids have fun bringing Mr Poes masterpiece to life." Gomez wished the kids luck with their rehearsal.

The girls thanked Mr Addams before heading down to the playroom with Cousin It. Parker quickly whispered something to Wednesday on the way there.

"So, we're going to go through Lisa's stuff while she's doing a seance with your mom?" The goth punk asked for a reminder of the plan for tomorrow afternoon.

"Yes." Wednesday answered simply.

"And you have a plan to make sure we don't get caught?"

Wednesday shook her head in response.

"Don't worry about that. Pugsley wanted to be part of the plan. So, he's going to be on look out." Wednesday explained as she looked around. "Then we will find out if Ms Lisa is hiding something."


	7. Daddy, are you out there?

The next day

Lisa grunted in anger as she looked around her room for a USB outlet. She woke up later then she wanted at twelve in the afternoon. She knew she set her alarm for nine. At least she was not rudely awakened by Fester and whatever loud instrument he had at his disposal. But she was embarrassed when asking what was for breakfast and being told it was around lunch time.  
After taking a shower and getting dressed properly for the rest of the day, Lisa found out why her alarm did not go off. Her phone had run out of batteries last night while she was sleeping. And she did not have a charger with her. She could not ask Wednesday because she was still at school and Pugsley told her he did not have a phone; making her assume he did not have a charger either. Muttering a rather rude word aimed at herself, Lisa walked out of her room to search for an outlet elsewhere; taking her phone and its charging cable with her. She decided to try the living room first. She spotted Morticia, Lurch and Fester as she made her way downstairs. Morticia had a canvas in front with an array of brushes and paints while Fester and Lurch stood in front of her in fixed poses. Fester was lying on the floor with a shield over his chest while Lurch had him pinned down with one hand; holding a trident over his head with the other. Morticia finished one section of the painting before noticing her new friend coming down the stairs.

"There you are, Ms Lisa." Morticia greeted as the lady came over to her.

Fester said a friendly hi as Lisa came over. But Lurch blinked and turned his head away from her; being a bit embarrassed because of what he did yesterday. He thought Lisa was going to say something about how he ran out and dropped the tray when he saw her new look. But Lisa did not really notice.

"What do think of my work in progress?" Morticia asked for Lisa's opinion on her painting. "I'm recreating a scene from a film I watched a couple of weeks ago."

Lisa had a look at painting Mrs Addams was working on. It was basically Fester and Lurch; but they were dressed like ancient Greek warriors on a battle field. Lisa nodded in approval; thinking Morticia had talent like Gomez said.

"I think I know what movie you're talking about; looks pretty good." Lisa said before remembering why she was down here. "By the way; do you know where I can find a USB outlet around here?"

"An outlet? Like a power socket?" Morticia asked for clarification.

"Yeah. For my phone. It's out of batteries and I don't have a charger."

Festers ears perked up when he heard the word charger.

"No charger, huh? Let me have a look." The bald uncle held a hand out; saying he could help with that.

Lisa blinked in confusion as she looked back and forth between the cable and Fester. Shrugging indifferently, she kneeled down and handed the USB end of the cable to him; thinking he was just having a look. But Lisa made a face of shock and disgust when he placed it in his mouth.

"Hey, what're you-"

Lisa was about to question him when her phone made a noise. She looked at it as the screen lit up with a battery filing up with green. One percent. Five percent. Twenty percent. Lisa looked back and forth between it and Fester with a gobsmacked look on her face. She felt like she was going to have a confused panic attack when it reached ninety nine percent.

"How are you doing this?!" She questioned; thinking this should not be possible. "You're a walking power bank!"

Fester took the cable out of his mouth with a smile on his face; thinking Lisa was thanking and complementing him.

"Thanks. It's no problem at all." He replied as he gave Lisa her charger cable back.

Lisa held the USB end of the cable away from herself. She was thankful towards Fester for charging her phone so quickly; but she wished he could have wiped the cable with a tissue or cloth first if she knew he was going to put it in his mouth.  
Lisa glanced at her phone as the lock screen came up. But she quickly noticed she had notifications. A lot of notifications. Before she could dwell on it, Morticia quickly grabbed her attention.

"Lisa; I'm going to start setting up for the séance as soon as I finish this." She explained as Lisa turned to look and listen. "Just relax for a bit and I'll have Lurch come get you when we're ready to begin."

Lurch quickly looked away as Lisa looked at him; the young lady still a bit weary of the butler. But he did save her from being plant food. So, she did not think he was so bad.

"So, just do whatever for the next hour or two?" Lisa asked as she turned back to Morticia.

"Just that." Morticia answered; focusing on her painting.

Lisa just shrugged; unsure of what to do with herself for the next couple of hours. She looked down at Fester as she held up her saliva covered charger cable.

"Thanks for... this." She thanked him; trying to sound as sincere as possible.

"No problem. I'll do it again if you need me to." He offered with a grin.

Lisa made an uncertain noise before she felt a tap on her shoulder. She almost jumped when she saw Thing sitting there; but she quickly calmed down when he handed her a tissue for her cable.

"Ummm... Thank you, Thing." She thanked him as he jumped off onto the floor.

Lisa decided to leave the room as she wiped the spit off of her cable; going back upstairs to occupy herself for the time being. Morticia went back to finishing her painting of her brother in law and butler. But Lurch unwillingly had the young lady on his mind; wondering if she was still afraid or noticed him.

"Hey, Lurch; you sick or something?" Fester asked out of nowhere.

"Uhh?" Lurch replied with a confused grunt.

"You're looking a little red in the face there, pal."

Lurch quickly realized what Fester was talking about and shook his head

"Thermostat's too high..." The embarrassed butler quickly thought of an excuse.

Morticia noticed Lurch and his change of colour as well. But she didn't notice any odd temperature in the room. Though Lurch did have slightly more sensitive senses then most. But she did notice that he seemed preoccupied with something on his mind.

"I'll Just go lower it for you, Lurch." Morticia offered as she lowered her paints; deciding it was probably nothing to dwell over.

Lisa looked up at the cobweb in the corner of the ceiling before looking back at the page of her sketchbook; putting in another detail with her mechanical pencil. Thinking this was the best use of her time at the moment, Lisa decided to do some drawing of anything she could see; thinking she needed the practice. In truth, she was really doing it to distract herself. To distract herself from her phone and the many unread and unheard messages on it. Lisa slowly stopped drawing a line as she looked at the device laying beside her; the screen telling her the time. 2:57 PM. The screen was also telling her many messages she had. 106.  
Lisa knew what she was doing was a bad choice. Procrastinating and not checking them was just going to make it worse. But she tried thinking positive and thought maybe they are all mom or Teddy. Or one of her friends from college that she kept in touch with. Feeling like she was poking a bear with a stick, she slowly grabbed the phone and pushed the home button; praying it was just mom and Teddy asking where she was.  
Her prayers went unanswered.  
She had messages from her mom. Teddy...  
And Jasper.  
Lisa put her sketchbook aside as she looked at the numbers. Her mother called and messaged her fifty times. Her brother Teddy did the same with the same amount. The rest of them were from Jasper. Lisa felt her heart rate go up as she tapped one of his six voicemail messages.

"Maybe it won't be so bad." She thought as the message began to play.

She was very wrong.

"I don't know where you ran off to, you little bitch! But when I find you, I'm going to drag you back here even if you kick and scream all the way."

Lisa broke into a fearful sweat as the deep menacing voice of Jasper threatened her through the voicemail before he talked in a more calm, yet somehow still sinister tone.

"Ya know. Maybe I should just keep calling you until you come back. You probably feel guilty about leaving dear old me. I bet your mom and brother are worried too. Don't make your mother have a stroke like your dad did."

Lisa looked at her ring in fear as the recorded message had quiet yet menacing laughter before saying one more line

"Don't leave me waiting, Sugar."

Lisa flinched as a loud beep sounded after those horrible words from Jasper. Her eyes were fighting back tears of fear and regret for leaving New York. For a moment, she almost took his words to heart. But those tears quickly turned to anger and resentment for that piece of trash as she quickly went into her contacts list; making her way to the J section.

"I'm never going back to you, prick!" She quietly yelled as she looked at his number.

Taking a deep breath, Lisa tapped into the options and pressed block contact button; telling him to jump off a cliff. She exhaled as her phone told her his number was now blocked; hopefully meaning he could not call or message her. Lisa calmed down a bit as she looked at the messages from mom and Teddy. She tapped on one of them; knowing her mother was going to sound distort.

"Lisa; it's your mom."

The message had the voice of a middle aged woman with a thick Brooklyn accent; a tone of worry and sadness in it as the message went on.

"Please. Please, where ever you are; please call me and tell me your okay. I need to know if you're safe."

Lisa felt her insides going cold as the message ended with a beep. She let the device down for a moment as she thought about her mothers tone. She had not seen her or Teddy for an entire month before she ran off. She wanted to call one of them and tell them she was okay.

"But what if Jasper is with them?" She thought; dreading the thought of that horrible monster figuring out where she was hiding.

Lisa did not want anyone to know where she was until she knew she was safe to come back home. But she did not want her family to worry. Knowing she could not keep putting it off, she went into her contacts and clicked on mom. She pressed on the message icon and took a deep breath as she prepared to write.  
But a loud knock on the door made her stop and look up; almost dropping the device out of her hand.

"Y-yes?" She answered as she put her device in her pocket.

"Mrs Addams is ready for you..."

Lisa almost froze as she heard Lurch on the other side of the door. Lisa looked at the time on her phone as she heard rain coming down outside the window. 3:05 PM. It was time for the séance. Lisa put her phone aside on the bed and made her way to the door. She was going to grab the handle to open it, but Lurch opened it from the other side and stepped aside for her.

"Ummm... Thank you." Lisa thanked the butler as she walked past him.

Lurch said nothing and watched as she went past him; waiting until she disappeared around the corner before following her to the living room. Lisa made her way downstairs as she saw Morticia waiting for her. Morticia gave Lisa a small smile as she noticed the young lady.

"There you are, Lisa. Are you ready for your first séance?" Mrs Addams asked with quiet eagerness.

"Yeady as I'll ever be, I guess." Lisa shrugged her answer before the doorbell went off; Lurch heading off to answer it.

Mrs Addams nodded before she quickly remembered something.

"Just remember, dear. If you have a clear image in your mind of your father and his name, it'll be easier to connect and contact him." Morticia instructed Lisa on what to do.

Lisa nodded as she noticed Wednesday and her friends coming in with Lurch behind them; Morticia quickly noticing them.

"Good afternoon, Wednesday dear; girls." Mrs Addams greeted them as they came into the living room. "How was school today?"

"Somebody snuck a ferret into school." Parker said as she picked a piece of fur off her vest.

"It got stuck in the vents and math class got cancelled because it." Carrie added with a smile on her face.

"Free period!" Sherrie held her hand up and high fived her sister.

Wednesday gently shook her head before she noticed Lisa standing there; quickly thinking of this afternoon's plan.

"Is it time for the séance, Mother?" Wednesday asked her mother with pretend interest.

Morticia put hand up to her ear; a smile coming to her face as she heard a clap of thunder.

"Yes, i believe it is." Morticia nodded as she answered.

Just then, Pugsley came running in with a baseball bat; nails embedded into the top.

"we'll pick up where we left off tomorrow, son!" Gomez called out from afar.

Morticia turned to Lisa as she stood up straight.

"Shall we, Ms Lisa?" She motioned for Lisa to follow her.

Wednesday and the watched as Lisa followed Morticia while Lurch went off to do something else; leaving the children to their own devices.

"Alright, let's put our bags in my room and get this done before she comes back." Wednesday directed her friends upstairs; Pugsley throwing his bat to the side before following them.

"Are we going to have enough time though?" Sherrie asked with a slightly worried tone.

"Don't worry. Séances usually go for a half hour or more. Depends on who you're talking to." Pugsley reassured the twin.

"And we'll be out of there before she even knows it." Wednesday added as she dumped her bag in her room; Parker and the twins doing the same. "Now we'll know who Lisa really is."

Lisa kept close to Morticia under the black umbrella she was holding; rain pouring down as they made their way to the backyard gazebo. She trusted Morticia that they were not going to be struck by lightning. But the loud roaring thunder above them made her a bit nervous. As they walked on the path towards the gazebo, Lisa noticed a rather large tree behind the house. It was a greyish colour with no leaves and it had a broom tied to a rope hanging from. Before she could wonder about it any further, Mrs Addams took the umbrella away and closed it as they came under the gazebo.

"Here we are, dear." Morticia got her attention as she sat down at the table underneath.

Lisa had a good look at what was around her. A table with a crystal ball and a Ouija board; thinking of a movie where someone died using one of those.

"We're doing this, huh?" She spoke in an uncertain tone as she sat next to Morticia.

"Don't really about a thing, dear. It will work." Morticia reassured as she set up the board.

"That's what I'm worried about." Lisa thought with a nervous look on her face.

Morticia nodded when everything was in place; almost ready to begin.

"Now before we start, Ms Lisa; I need to know what your father's name is." Mrs Addams asked; needing to know who the contact was.

Lisa blinked as she took out her phone. She looked into one of the little pockets of the case; taking out a photo. Morticia waited patiently as Lisa looked at the photo of herself when she was a child. There was also a man holding her in the picture. He looked at least mid thirties or early forties; wearing a red flannel shirt with faded jeans from the knees up with a scruffy looking haircut. He looked rather tall and masculine; yet he had a cheerful and welcoming smile as he held little Lisa. Lisa finally looked up at Morticia as she put the photo away.

"Jonathan Moaney." She answered with an unemotional tone.

Morticia nodded as she took Lisa's hand; lightning erupting from above quickly followed by a clap of thunder as Morticia placed her free hand on the crystal ball with her eyes closed.

"Spirits from the other side; come and hear my plea." Mrs Addams began with a greeting as Lisa watched. "This is Morticia Addams. I'm looking for a Jonathan Moaney. Is there a Jonathan Moaney there?"

Lisa was about to say something about this being unnecessary. But she fell silent and stared as the crystal ball began glowing with a green and purple hue in its centre. She almost went back in her chair as a weird humming sound emulated from it.

"It's just taking a bit of time to tune in." Morticia reassured as the humming continued.

"...Ha..."

Lisa gasped as a different noise came from the glowing ball.

"Hel... Hello? Is somebody there?"

She put her hand to her mouth as a familiar voice began to come through. Morticia quickly responded for a connection.

"Is this Jonathan Moaney we are speaking to?" Mrs Addams asked for Clarification.

"Who wants to know?" The voice asked back with a rather suspicious tone as the glow flickered.

Lisa felt her insides turn cold as she fully recognised the voice.

"Daddy, it's me!" she stood up as she finally spoke up.

The crystal ball flickered as the voice made a slightly confused noise before speaking to Lisa.

"Lisa? Is that you, Sweetface?" The voice asked with a slightly confused, yet happy tone.

Lisa put her hands to her face as she made a sound that could only be described as a mix between pure joy and bittersweet sadness as she heard the affection nickname her parents called her as a child. That really was her father's voice speaking to her.

"It is you!" She smiled with a shaky voice as she reached out to the crystal ball.

"But... I'm dead. How're you talking to me?" Jonathan questioned as the crystal ball flickered to his voice.

"I helped your daughter contact you through a séance, Mr Moaney." Morticia explained before introducing herself. "I'm Morticia Addams, by the way."

"Oh, well it's nice to meet someone who's not dead, Ma'am." Jonathan replied in a friendly voice.

Morticia gave the man a well-meaning smile; even though he could probably not see it before turning to Lisa.

"I'll give you some time alone and leave the umbrella for you when you finish." She decided to give Lisa time alone with her father; knowing they probably had a lot to talk about.

Lisa nodded as Morticia left her alone with her father's spirit; the tree behind the house suddenly moving its branches over the woman and shielding her from the pouring rain.

"Thank you, Ichabod." Mrs Addams thanked the tree before heading back to the house.

Lisa felt like She should have had some kind of reaction to a tree coming to life suddenly. But she was focused on something much more important as she turned back to the crystal ball.

"Dad? You still there?" She asked; making sure the séance was still working without Morticia.

"Yeah; I'm still here, Sweet face." Jonathan reassured his daughter. "Did Morticia say Séance? Is that how I'm talking to you right now?"

"Yeah! It's crazy isn't it!" Lisa said with a smile, even though tears were coming through.

Lisa wiped away some tears with her sleeve as she made a sniffing sound; her father recognising it quickly.

"Lisa, it's okay; don't cry." Jonathan tried his best to comfort her; only being able to use his voice.

"I'm okay, dad. It's just been so long since I've heard your voice. I've missed you so much." Lisa told him as she wiped her all tears away. "It's just been so long since you died."

Lisa heard a sigh coming from the crystal ball before Jonathan spoke again.

"It honestly hasn't felt like it's been so long." He spoke with a hint of sadness in his. "It only felt like a couple of years ago since I blacked out like that. I've only seen a little bit of you and the others after I died. Are Teddy and your ma doing ok?"

Lisa stopped smiling for a moment as she thought of something to tell her father.

"I haven't actually talked to them for a while. But they're doing okay." She half lied; hoping he could not tell. "Mom's working at the old movie theatre and Teddy's a yoga instructor."

"Ha! Teddy always was a fitness nut. That's my boy." Jonathan commented before getting back to his wife's wellbeing. "But how is Louise doing without me? Is she okay?"

"Mom is doing okay, dad. We all took it pretty hard when you died; but we supported each other through and we're stronger than ever."

Lisa could hear her father letting out a relieved sounding laugh; glad to know his family was doing okay.

"That's good to hear. Are they with you? Can I talk to them?" Jonathan asked with a hopeful tone of voice; wanting to speak with his wife and son.

The smile on Lisa's face quickly disappeared when her father asked that. Even if he could not really see that his daughter was right in front of him and she could just make something up. But she had to be honest.

"They're not actually here with me." Lisa spoke honestly as she took her glasses to clean them.

"What do ya mean, Sweet face? Where are you?" Jonathan asked; wondering if his daughter was actually in New York.

Lisa took a deep breath before answering.

"I'm at a town in Jersey." She answered as she put her glasses back on.

"Jersey? What're ya doing in a place like that?" Jonathan asked with a rather suspicious tone on the word Jersey.

Lisa wanted to tell her father the reason why she was here and not home. But she did not want him to have some kind of ghostly panic attack if she told him about Jasper. Quickly, she thought of something to say.

"Did you say you haven't seen me, Teddy or mom since you died?" She asked; wondering if he was somehow like a guardian angel of some kind.

"Yeah, Time is really weird when you're dead." Jonathan explained as the crystal ball flickered. "I did check up on you doing college. How're you doing with that, by the way?"

"I finished college a few years ago, dad." Lisa clarified; a delighted gasp coming from the crystal ball.

"You did!? I'm so proud of you, Sweet face!" Jonathan said with pride in his voice; the glow flickering with it.

Lisa almost found herself smiling upon hearing her father saying he was proud. But it quickly went back to a worried grimace as he asked another question.

"But what're you actually doing in Jersey?" Jonathan asked in a rather inquisitive tone.

Lisa quickly thought of something to say.

"I'm talking a bit of time off." She answered; both lying and speaking true. "I've been a little stressed over a few things. So, I decided to go somewhere for a while until I felt better."

"No offence, Sweetface; but I never really thought of Jersey as a place to take a break." Jonathan spoke with blunt honesty.

Lisa just nodded with a sound of agreement. But she looked at the ring on her finger as she felt a cold feeling in her gut. The kind of feeling that someone gets when they want to ask someone about something. But they would worry about the answer they get.

"Hey, dad? I need to ask you about something." She asked; hoping for some fatherly advice beyond the grave.

"What's on your mind, Sweetie?" Jonathan asked; eager to give his daughter some fatherly wisdom.

Lisa closed her eyes as she pictured the photo in her phone case; feeling like she could see her father there with her as she began to talk.

"I have this friend who's in a lot of trouble." She began; pretending she was talking about someone else and not herself.

"Trouble? What kind of trouble?" Jonathan asked in a concern voice.

Lisa smiled a little as she imagined him sitting next to her as he talked; like he was still there and alive.

"Well, she just got out of a really bad relationship." She began with a scenario. "Like from what she said it started off okay; but her boyfriend somehow changed his whole personality and became all possessive and demanding. Like he pretending to be this nice and caring guy, but then he suddenly turned into a horrible person who wouldn't let her do anything unless he knew about or if it was something he wanted. After a while, she couldn't take it anymore and ran off. I'm not sure where she is, but I texted her and she said she's safe."

Lisa pictured her father with a worried face as he took a breath.

"That's some heavy stuff. I hope she's alright." He spoke his concerns before Lisa continued.

"Yeah; she blocked his number because he kept sending her threatening calls and messages." Lisa further explained before getting deeper into her own problem. "But she hasn't told her family what's going on. They're probably worried about her and she didn't officially break up with this guy. I'm just wondering what she can do."

Lisa could hear her father making sounds of thought; picturing him thinking of a possible answer.

"Well, it's good to she's tried to cut ties with him; that's a start." He began; Lisa imagining him talking across from where she was sitting. "But she should tell her family where she is and if she's safe so they don't panic or come to any horrible conclusion. And if this ex is a danger to her in any way, she should call the police; especially if he figures out or knows where she is."

"...But if she calls her family, how can she be sure they won't tell the boyfriend?" Lisa asked; afraid of what would happen.

"She just needs to make sure, that's all I know. And she should maybe just say something to them, like text them and say 'I can't talk right now, but I'll set a time and talk to you when I can'." Jonathan had nothing else to say on the matter. "But who's in trouble with their boyfriend? Someone from school that you know?"

"Oh, she probably wouldn't want me saying her name. I'll Just tell them what you told me." Lisa quickly answered with a nervous grin.

Lisa imagined her father nodding as he made a slight noise.

"I guess that's understandable. Hope she stays safe." Jonathan spoke with concern over the person in question.

Lisa felt and played with her ring; a look of uncertain guilt and worry finding its way onto her face.

"Yeah. Me too." She spoke quietly as she looked at the rain coming down.

Lisa looked at the crystal ball again with thought; wandering if being dead was not as bad as people thought.

"So, pops; what's being dead like?" She asked in genuine curiosity.

"It's not that bad, actually." Jonathan began with a pretty carefree tone as he explained. "You should still live as long as possible; but I must've been pretty good. Because this honestly feels like-"

Lisa opened her eyes as she heard her father being interrupted by someone on his end.

"Wait; now?" He questioned as someone else told him something. "Let me say goodbye to my daughter first."

Lisa looked at the crystal ball in confusion as she heard her father let out a disappointed sigh.

"Sorry, Sweetface. One of my pals up here just reminded me that were going to see a play now." Jonathan apologized to his daughter for cutting their reunion short.

"You really have to go?" Lisa asked with a saddened tone. "I miss you, dad."

"It's okay, Lisa; I miss you too." Jonathan said softly as the crystal ball softly glowed. "We can talk again sometime, can't we?"

Lisa smiled a little at the thought of doing another seance.

"I'll have to ask Morticia how this works." Lisa put her hand on the crystal ball; feeling a pleasant warmth from it. "I'm glad I could talk to you again, dad."

"Me too, Sweetface. Never forget; I love you." Jonathan spoke of the bottom of his non beating heart. "Tell your mother and brother I love them too."

"I will. I love you, dad." Lisa spoke as the glow in the crystal ball began fading out.

Jonathan and Lisa said their goodbyes as the glow from the ball faded; soon disappearing and cutting them off from each other for the time being. Lisa still had her hand on the ball as a sad look overcame her; wondering what he would have said if she told him that it was really herself who is in trouble.

Pugsley kept an eye out as he peeked out of the door of the guestroom; making sure nobody was coming as the girls looked for clues about Lisa. All they really found was things that made her look harmless. An wallet with little to no money inside it, some old yet still usable makeup that was just sitting at the bottom of her backpack, a travel pass card in a lanyard, a small pencil case with line art pens and pencils, coloured pens with an Eraser and a sharpener... Ladies essentials, an small tub of mints, a sketchbook that she left laying on the bed and an electronic lighter with a picture of a dragon on it but nothing to light with it. She had all that in her backpack and one weeks' worth of clothes in her suitcase.

"Wow. She really didn't bring much with her." Carrie commented as she and her sister looked in her suitcase.

"Maybe she really is a backpacker." Sherrie added as she held up a shirt with a pair of angel wings on the back of it. "She's got good taste though."

Wednesday had a look at Lisa's sketchbook while Parker scratched the back of her head in discomfort.

"I still think this is wrong." She repeated for the second time today. "We haven't even found anything that makes her look like anything bad or a possible maniac. She's probably hiding nothing."

Wednesday shook her head as she looked at one of the more recent drawings in the sketchbook.

"I wouldn't say that. Have a look." Wednesday said as she held up the page for her friends to see.

Parker had a look while Carrie and Sherrie came over to look. The page had a large drawing of a woman being tied up and held by a demonic looking figure. All the colours were dark and blotchy; like blood was used for the colouring and inking. Parker and Twins blinked at the gruesome artwork.

"Did she draw this?" Carrie asked; fascinated and weirded out at the same time.

"It's like something out of a horror movie." Sherrie added as she looked at it.

"It's pretty good even if it looks scary." Parker commented; thinking it was just a drawing and nothing else.

"Perhaps so. But look." Wednesday said as she turned to another page of the sketchbook.

The girls saw a different drawing that was quite opposite to the first; this one a realistic sketch of a tree. Wednesday turned to another one with a more cartoonish drawing of a dragon sitting on a pile of jewels and gold.

"Every other picture she's drawn is slightly more cheerful then this one. And they're all marked with dates; the earliest one being from couple of years ago." Wednesday pointed out as she looked through the artworks. "Right in the middle of them, the dates are marked very far from other; meaning she probably stopped drawing for a while. When she started doing it again, she started drawing things that are bit dark in tone and subject. Like this one."

The girls looked as Wednesday pointed to a drawing of a girl being followed by what looked like a horde of demonic shadows. Parker snapped her fingers as she remembered something.

"Vent art." She said suddenly; making Wednesday and the twins look at her for explanation. "One of the kids in art class told me about how most people who paint or draw when they're anger, sad or are just having really bad feelings vent out their emotions by putting them on paper or a canvas. They're venting out their negative feelings. So, it's called vent art."

Carrie and Sherrie made quiet noises of interest while Wednesday checked the dates on the more recent drawings.

"These vent arts are very recent. They're from August and September." Wednesday pointed out.

"Wow. I wander what she's venting about." Sherrie thought out loud.

"Maybe she's had something bad happen to her that really messed her up." Carrie shared her theory on what Lisa was venting about.

Wednesday listened to the girls theorise what they thought what is eating at Lisa. The girl with the noose braids looked at the drawing of the figure being followed by the shadows and the drawing of the woman tied by the demon for a minute until she realized something. The tormented figure in these drawings were Lisa.

"She's not hiding something from us." Wednesday spoke suddenly; Parker and the twins giving her their attention. "Lisa is hiding from someone."

Morticia tapped her finger nails against the arm of her chair on silent anticipation; wondering if Lisa was doing okay with the séance on her own. Gomez was standing across from her with a whip in his hand; aiming careful for an apple placed on top of his wife's chair. But he stopped when he noticed his beloved looking distracted.

"Something on your mind, Cara Mia?" Gomez asked in concern.

"I was just thinking of Lisa, darling." Morticia reassured her husband. "She must have never done a seance before in her life. She was quite surprised when I told her that it's how I talk to my parents."

"Oh, I'm sure she picked it up quickly after you showed her how, my dear. It's like riding a buffalo. You never forget how to do it once you've done it." Gomez explained as he aimed for the apple.

A fond smile on Morticias' pale face appeared as she was reminded of their first date.

"You always knew how to have a good time, Gomez darling." Mrs Addams complemented the wild beast that was her husband as he prepared to strike the fruit above her head.

Gomez flashed a devilish grin before he cracked the whip against the apple; splitting it in two while missing his wife's head by a hair. Morticia grabbed the two apple slices in her hands and stood up.

"bravo, Mon Cher." Morticia cheered for her beloved.

Gomez gasped as he dropped his whip on the floor before he ran to Morticias' side; grabbing her arm and kissing her passionately.

"Tish; that French goes right through me." He said before kissing her some more.

Morticia sighed as she shook her head gently with a little hard to notice smile. As Gomez begged her to speak more French, Morticia could see Lisa from the corner of her eye; the young lady shaking rain water off the umbrella left for her before she put it next to a small table. Morticia quickly handed her husband the apple slices so he would let go; letting her welcome their guest back in.

"Welcome back, Ms Lisa. Did you enjoy speaking to your-"

Morticia quickly silenced herself when she noticed the sad look on Lisa's face. Gomez noticed it as well; wondering why she could be upset. Morticia tried to ask what was wrong.

"Are you alright? Did something go wrong with-"

Morticia never finished her sentence when Lisa ran up and threw her arms around her; making Mrs Addams let out a rather surprised noise. Mr Addams watched with concerned interest as Lisa started crying. But she was also smiling as she hugged Morticia. Lurch was about to come around the corner. But the giant stopped and took a step back when he quickly saw the sight in living room; thinking something was probably happening and he did not want to interrupt. All the butler did was watch and listen.

"I can't thank you enough." The Lisa spoke to Morticia through joyful tears. "I really don't know how to repay you."

Morticia calmed down a little as she realised the séance went perfectly and Lisa was grateful for having a chance to talk to her father again so long after his death. Morticia smiled very slight smile; patting Lisa's head gently as she hugged her back.

"Think nothing of it, dear. Knowing you have closure is all the reward anyone needs." Mrs Addams reassured Lisa as the young lady broke away and wiped her tears away. "Did you and your father have a lot to talk about?"

"Yeah; I told him mom and Teddy are doing okay and that I finished college." Lisa smiled a bit with a sniffle. "Never thought I'd hear him say he was proud of me ever again."

"That's absolutely capital, Ms Lisa; good for you!" Gomez cheered for her before taking a bite from one of the apple slices in his hand.

Lisa nodded in approval before turning back to Morticia.

"I really need to know how this whole séance stuff works." She thought Morticia could teach her how; hoping to do it again some time in the future.

"I'd be happy to teach you while you're here." Morticia happily obliged. "All you need is a crystal ball and a Ouija board, then you and your family can talk to your father or any other deceased relative whenever you like."

Lisa's smile slowly faded when Morticia mentioned family. She slowly realised that she had not told her mother or her brother she was safe. A twinge of guilt in the back of her neck manifested as she realised that she could not keep putting it off.

"I'd like that very much, Morticia. But I need to go do something first." Lisa politely postponed the offer.

Lurch watched and listened from his spot as Lisa was about to go upstairs.

"Is everything alright, Ms Lisa?" Gomez asked out of concern; finding Lisa's tone a bit sad.

"Oh, I'm okay. I just have some things I need to think about." Lisa reassured Mr Addams before making her way upstairs and waving goodbye for now.

Morticia and Gomez wondered what Lisa had to think about before Lurch walked in quietly; also wondering what the young lady had on her mind. The couple quickly noticed him and smiled upon seeing their loyal butler.

"Ah, come to practice on the good old piano; have you, old man?" Gomez greeted their faithful servant.

Lurch blinked for a moment before nodding a yes; not wanting to let Mr and Mrs Addams know he was just standing there for the last minute or so.

"Well, we'll leave you to it, Lurch." Morticia said as she grabbed Mr Addams's whip off the floor. "Mr Addams and I will give you some space and move to the dungeon for some private time."

Morticia got a rather devilish smile from her husband as she put her hand to his cheek; implying something quite intimate with 'private time'.

"Morticia, you irresistible she-devil." Gomez teased as he held her hand in his own.

"My master of pleasure and torture." Morticia Returned the sentiment as the pair began to leave the room.

Lurch rolled his eyes the other way and stopped listening as his employers called each other pet names; knowing what it was going to lead to. The butler dismissed it as he made his way to the instrument; admiring its old yet beautiful woodwork as he sat down in front of the ageing but still working keys. Cracking his knuckles and taking a deep breath of anticipation, the butler began playing with a warm up; making the piano sing a light yet disconsolate tune.

"Maybe she has a lot of nightmares and this shadowy figure is always in them." Carrie theorised the meaning of the vent art.

"It might be night terrors about someone she doesn't like." Sherrie theorised something similar to her sister.

As the girls tried to figure out what Lisas' drawings meant, Pugsley still kept look out for the person in question; thinking they were still in the clear. Until she came around the corner from the stairs. Pugsley gasped in panic as he closed the door; quickly getting Wednesday and Parkers' attention.

"Lisa's right outside!" He warned as her waved his arms frantically.

The girls gasped while Wednesday quickly put a backup plan in motion; closing the sketchbook and quickly putting it back where they found it.

"Everyone, hide." Wednesday instructed; everyone quickly looking for places to hide as they heard light, but close footsteps coming towards the door.


	8. Your Song

**AN: I just found out that the names of the twins are actually named Kayla and Layla. I'm not sure if I should fix this or if I should leave it as it is. **

**Anyway, enjoy the chapter.**

* * *

Lisa kept her eyes on the floor as she put her hand on the doorknob; turning it and opening it quietly. She pushed her free hand through her hair as she closed the door behind her; still keeping her eyes on the floor as she walked to the bed and sat down. With a quiet groan of frustration, she covered her face with her hands.

"I'm such an idiot." She said to herself as she laid herself back on the bed.

"OOF!"

Lisa quickly sat back up when she felt something under the blankets and sheets along with a gasp as she heard a pained sound.

"The Hell?"

Lisa quickly grabbed the bed covering and pulled it off; A face of surprised confusion when she saw Mr and Mrs Addams son trying to blend into the mattress.

"Pugsley!?" Lisa shrieked in question; dropping the bed covering onto the floor.

"I'm not Pugsley! I'm a mattress!" Pugsley replied; trying to keep up a failed charade.

Before Lisa could question the boy any further, a pair of kid voices let out a short scream in unison. Lisa turned her head to see Wednesdays twin friends fallen on the floor; hiding in the wardrobe beforehand. Lisa's look of confusion turned in suspicion very quickly. Calming herself, she spoke up.

"Alright. If this is a game of hide and seek, I'll let it slide. But if not; come out now and tell me why you're in here." She tried to threatening; failing and sounding confused instead.

Lisa watched and listened as she heard a sigh from above her.

"It's not hide and seek."

Lisa flinched and looked up to see Wednesday hanging from behind the curtains; jumping off and landing on Pugsley before standing on the bed. The confused woman looked down to see Parker coming out from under the bed; grunting as she dragged herself out and stood up off the floor. The twins lifted themselves off the floor as Lisa opened and closed her mouth; having trouble figuring out what to say about this.

"Please don't get mad." Carrie and Sherrie begged in unison.

"I'm not mad. I'm honestly more confused then mad." Lisa clarified with a slightly raised voice before asking the dreaded question. "What don't you want me to get mad about?"

The twins looked at each other nervously as Lisa stared at them; waiting for them to answer her question. Wednesday rolled her eyes as the twins girls struggled to answer. So she answered for them.

"I don't believe you are who you say you are."

Lisa hesitated to face the pale child as the twins turned silent and gave their full attention to Wednesday while Parker quietly sighed in exhaustion; knowing Lisa's reaction was going to be unpleasant.

"Wha... What do you mean?" She asked; playing nervously with her shirt before turning to Parker. "What does she mean?"

"Don't look at me; I just wanted to rehearse for our drama final." Parker answered vaguely as she leaned on the bed post.

"I mean you're not telling the truth about why you're here." Wednesday explained further as Pugsley sat up behind her. "The other day at breakfast, we asked you questions about yourself. When my father talked about what you had with you, you said you only had a small number of things because you didn't have time to pack."

Lisa blinked at Wednesday and her brother as she stopped playing with her shirt. Wednesday quickly noticed that Lisa's breathing was becoming shaky and she was taping the fingers on her right hand with her thumb; quickly realising she was becoming anxious.

"S-so what?" She questioned the girl questioning her.

"So when I asked you why you didn't have time to pack, you suddenly looked afraid and hesitated to answer before you said anything." Wednesday answered as she moved closer to Lisa's face; standing on the edge of the bed as Lisa took a step back. "When you answered my question, you said you just procrastinated; implying you left it to the last minute. But before and as you answered, you showed a few of the tell-tale signs of a lie. You hesitated to give out your answer, you used a very exaggerated expression on your face when you did and you had a lightly higher pitch in your voice as you spoke."

Lisa tapped her fingers together slightly faster as she felt her heartbeat getting faster.

"What's your point?" She questioned as she crossed her arms; trying to hide her very clear nervousness.

"My point is, you're obviously hiding something." Wednesday told Lisa her point. "So we did some investigating."

"Investigating?" Lisa repeated in question.

"We looked through your suitcase and bag." Pugsley said with a smile like what there was nothing wrong.

Lisa let out a shocked gasp as Wednesday smacked the back of her brothers head; making him give his sister a nasty glare as he rubbed the spot.

"You went through my stuff!?" Lisa questioned in fear; quickly realising she left her sketchbook on the bed. "Did you look at my sketchbook!?"

"Hey; it wasn't my idea!" Pugsley Spoke in his own defence. "I was just keeping a look out the door for you!"

"Then who's idea was it!?" Lisa questioned in a fearful voice that tried to sound brave.

Parker, Pugsley, Carrie and Sherrie pointed to Wednesday; the pale girl only blinking in response. Lisa stopped trying to look brave in front of these children; especially Wednesday. She quickly thought that they were like those mind reading children from The Damned Village. Thinking she was in danger; Lisa took a deep breath before talking again; trying to calm herself.

"Okay. W-what do you want from me?" She stammered; thinking if they were going to call the cops on her.

"We just want the truth." Wednesday spoke in a calm tone as she jumped off the bed; looking up at the clearly anxious woman. "We don't think you're a wanted criminal."

"Didn't you suspect that yesterday?" Sherrie recalled their conversation on the way to school yesterday morning.

"Shut up, Sherrie!" Carrie quickly shushed her sister.

Wednesday shook her head before continuing.

"We just want to know why you're here and want made you leave New York." She clarified.

Lisa rubbed her sleeve as she bit her lip worryingly.

"What makes you think it's any of your business?" Lisa asked back.

"It probably isn't." Parker answered back with a shrug.

"But for whatever reason you left, it's plain to see that it's causing you a great amount of stress. So it would be wise to let it out before it becomes so bad that it destroys you mentally." Wednesday added with wise yet morbid advice. "Trust me; my father studied psychology."

Lisa blinked at the pale child before taking a moment to think. She hated that they went through her things and ambushed her like this. But she knew not taking about her situation and lying about it was doing more damage then good to her. Taking deep breath and exhaling, she spoke up.

"If I tell you the truth, you have to promise not to tell anyone else; especially your parents." Lisa laid down her conditions. "I'll tell them when I think I'm ready. Ya understand?"

"I understand." Wednesday acknowledged Lisa's conditions.

"Got it." Pugsley gave the young lady a thumbs up.

"I'm good at keeping secrets." Parker reassured Lisa in her own way.

"Cross our hearts." Carrie and Sherrie promised as they crossed each other's heart.

Lisa nodded as she took a seat on the edge of the bed next to Pugsley; making the boy moved to the side a little bit as she began to explain her case while the girls sat down on the floor to listen.

"I hate to disappoint you. But I'm not a wanted criminal or fugitive." Lisa began; Pugsley making a slightly disappointed face. "But... I am on the run."

The girls blinked in confusion while Wednesday and Pugsley kept straight faces on.

"I'm not a backpacker either. And when I said I didn't have time to pack, I meant it literally. The reason why is because..."

Everyone wanted as Lisa had trouble getting her words; clutching her hand into a fist as she did so.

"Because I'm running away from someone who wants to hurt me."

Lisa watched as the kids looked at her with slightly wide eyes; except Wednesday, who only blinked and tilted her head slightly.

"Who wants to hurt you?" Parker asked; sounding worried yet interested in what Lisa had to day.

Lisa adjusted her shirt as she explained her situation further.

"His name is Jasper Marshall." She spoke the name like there was a bad taste in her mouth. "All I can say about him is that he's a horrible excuse of a human being and I'm glad I got away from him when I did!"

Everyone took an inch back at Lisa's raised tone; finding it a bit frightening since they only heard her being quiet up until know. Lisa noticed them looking at her that way; putting her face in her hands out of fearful embarrassment.

"So I took a train out of New York, train broke down so missed the stop I wanted and ended wondering into and passing out in your yard. All because I needed to get as far away from that piece of crap as possible." She summed up her case in two sentences. "That's all I'm going to say about it now."

Wednesday and Pugsley looked at each other in uncertainty while Parker and the twins had worried looks on their faces. Wednesday knew she was definitely telling the truth; showing little to know signs of lying. The girl with the noose shaped pigtails was unsure where to go from here. But Parker did.

"Hey... We're really sorry we went through your suitcase and scared you like that. It was uncalled for and wrong." The goth punk apologized on behalf of her friends; even If It was Wednesdays idea.

Wednesday watched as Lisa quietly accepted the apology. But she just looked down at the floor like she did not really acknowledge it. Wednesday looked back towards the bed to see Lisa's sketchbook sitting there. She slowly picked it up before tapping its owner on the shoulder; getting her attention and making her look up.

"We didn't have a look at your sketchbook. Not all of it anyway." Wednesday confessed with a small lie.

Lisa shook her head and muttered an I knew it through her teeth.

"But from what we saw, you're really good." Parker quickly intervened; jumping onto the bed and sitting next to her.

Lisa's depressed look softened as she looked at Parker; unsure if she was complimenting her.

"You think so?" She asked; unsure if she heard the child correctly.

"yeah; totally!" Carrie and Sherrie nodded with reassuring smiles.

"I didn't see anything because I was guarding the door." Pugsley spoke honestly. "But I'll take their word for it."

Wednesday sat next to Lisa as she handed her sketchbook back to her; sitting it on her lap for her to take.

"If it's alright with you, would you show us a bit of your work?" She asked as politely and respectfully as she could.

Lisa took a few seconds to think as she took her sketchbook into her hands. She was finding a small amount of comfort in the fact that they liked her work; even though they looked at it without permission. She wanted to tell them what they did was wrong. But they already apologized and admitted it and they were only kids. Kids always did stuff like that. She let out a sigh of defeat.

"Why the Hell not." Lisa muttered as the twins went around the bed to get a better look.

Lisa positioned her sketchbook before opening it slightly and going through the pages; stopping somewhere near the start of the book. She opened on a cartoonish drawing of small dog holding a large dinosaur sized bone in its mouth; the twins making sounds of adoring cuteness at the sight of it.

"That's so cute!" They squealed in unison as Lisa gave them a better look.

Parker nodded in agreement while Wednesday and Pugsley gave each other looks of uncertainty.

"You ever draw anything with blood and guts? Like a severed head?" Pugsley asked in morbid curiosity.

Lisa gave the boy a weird look before she went through her pages.

"I'm not sure about blood. But I did these on Halloween a few years back." She said as she stopped at a page.

Lisa showed the kids a drawing of a skeleton in a fancy suit; holding up its own skull with large orange text that read 'Shakespearean quotation.' Wednesday and Pugsley showed more interest while Parker and the twins made sounds of awe. Lisa then tuned to a drawing of a jack o lantern breathing fire; making the kids look as they stared in awe before Lisa started speaking.

"It's not my best. But it's okay I guess." She under sold herself; the twins looking at her like she was nuts.

"You guess!?" Carrie repeated the words like they offended her.

"Girl; you obviously have talent! Why are you denying it?!" Sherrie questioned; standing up and putting her hands on her hips.

Lisa closed her sketchbook slowly as her face slowly turned pink; her eyes looking down at the floor.

"I don't know... I just haven't had a lot of feed back and I guess I just started doubting myself." She tried to explain herself. "I did have a thing on the internet where I would post my art and show everyone and maybe sell prints of it. But At somepoint someone said to me that it just a waste of time. So, I just accepted that this was only going to be a hobby and nothing else. I guess I just gave up."

"Hey don't under sell yourself like that." Parker tried encouraging her with a gentle punch on the shoulder. "Just because it might be a waste of time to someone else doesn't mean it's a waste of time to you. They're probably just jealous cause they can't draw an awesome fire breathing pumpkin like you can. You shouldn't give a damn about what any one says to you or give up when someone says what you like is a waste of time. You should just do you, man. That's what you should give a damn about."

"And you did say you studied visual arts, so you clearly what to make something out of it." Wednesday added as she stood up.

"Yeah! It's like how I love explosives. So I've decided I'm going to be a demolition expert when I'm old enough!" Pugsley added with his own ambitions.

"Aren't you already a demolitions expert?" Parker asked as she stood up.

"I'm probably the world's youngest demolitions man. So yeah." Pugsley acknowledged with a grim smile.

Lisa blinked with wide eyes as she looked down at her collection of drawings. She only ever got encouragement from her family and friends. It wasn't until after she met Jasper that she began to doubt herself. She stood up as she realised that she did not have to listen to him anymore. Because he was not here.

"You're right. You're all right!" Lisa fully stood up as she took the kids advice to heart. "Just because one guy thinks what I like to do is a waste doesn't mean it is to me! I know I can make something of This! I'm gonna keep drawing, and I won't give a rat's butt about what anybody says! Because I'm doing what I love!"

Pugsley, Parker and the twins cheered and clapped for their new friend while Wednesday slowly clapped; showing nothing on the outside but maybe cheering on the inside. The smile on Lisa's face quickly turned into a look of realization as she calmed herself down a bit.

"But I can't do anything about right now." She said softly as she looked towards her book. "Oh no."

"What's up?" Parker asked as Lisa put on a worried face.

"I've only got two blank pages left." Lisa said as she showed them the remaining pages. "Damn. I don't have another sketchbook and I feel so inspired."

Wednesday could tell that Lisa probably had an outburst of creative energy and wanted to use. The pale child had an idea.

"Ms Lisa?" She asked for the young lady's attention.

Lisa looked down at Wednesday as she asked for her attention.

"Have you ever heard of Edgar Allan Poes' the Raven?" She asked; putting her hands behind her back.

"Yeah. The one about the guy going inane because a bird won't shut up." Lisa recalled the story. "What about it?"

"We're doing a performance of it for our drama club finals next Thursday evening. And I was wondering if you could help with it."

Lisa blinked in confusion before responding.

"Why would you want me? I can't act for squat." She asked; thinking Wednesday wanted her in their little play.

"No, no. She meant If you could help us with props and special effects." Parker clarified for her. "Wednesday and I are doing the acting. I'm gonna be the man trying to get over the loss of his wife and Wednesday's going to narrate."

"And Thing is going to be the Raven." Carrie added with a smile.

"Mrs Addams made an adorable little raven costume for them. It's so cute, I could just die!" Sherrie said with a quiet squeak.

"Don't do that yet! You need to make Thing fly; don't you?" Pugsley asked; taking the phrase a bit too literally.

"You guys sound like you've got this covered. What's it got to do with me?" Lisa asked; thinking she was not really needed that much.

"Carrie had an idea the other day that we could have a painting of the man's late wife as a prop for the performance." Wednesday explained. "We tried asking someone from art class; but they're all busy with their end of year projects. Mother already made Things costume though."

"We didn't want to bother her too much." Sherrie added cautiously; even though Mrs Addams was really very nice.

"So if you're not busy, we were wondering if you could draw or paint a portrait of the lost Lenore for the performance." Wednesday asked if Lisa could lend her skills to their project. "We won't take any unearned credit. We will say that's it's your work.

Lisa thought a bit about Wednesdays offer. She let out a quiet hum of thought before thinking about how she really did not have much to do around here besides trying to talk to everyone and helping with chores.

"Well, I am running out of stuff to do around here." She thought before answering to Wednesday. "Okay. I'll do it. But I'll need art supplies."

"Done." Wednesday shook hands with Lisa while the girls high fived each other. "We'll start rehearsal in a few minutes in my room. Then we can talk and provide you with whatever you need."

"And I'm gonna go throw dynamite down a hole outside." Pugsley randomly announced and as he got up and walked out the room.

Lisa watched as the kids began to leave; excited to work on their project with added help from Lisa. She was about to follow them when she felt her phone vibrate in her pocket. She stopped suddenly and had a look to see a new notification. It was a text from her mother. Lisa felt her breath still as she looked at her phone; conflicted on what she should do.

"Are you coming?"

Lisa looked up as Wednesday asked her if she was coming to help them.

"Yeah. You go ahead; I just need five minutes." The young lady requested some time alone with a reassuring smile.

"My room is just on the right from your door. See you soon." Wednesday shut the door behind her to give Lisa some space.

Lisa stopped smiling as she looked down at her phone; opening her notifications to find a text from her mother.

"I don't know if you will read this at all or if you are safe. But if you are, please try to reach out. I just want to hear your voice and know that you are okay."

Lisa stared long and hard at the message; realising her family really were worried sick about her. She wanted to talk to them so badly; but she did not want them to tell Jasper. Taking a deep breath; she started typing back.

"I'm okay. But I can't talk until I know for sure that Jasper doesn't know where I am. I promise we can talk next week. Please tell Teddy I'm okay and please for the love of god don't tell Jasper I responded to you."

Lisa felt herself shaking as she finished typing; forcing herself to press send. As the message went out, Lisa felt a wave of anxiety come over as her brain automatically assumed the worst; thinking what if Jasper was right there and would try to make her mother call back because she blocked him. Having no second thoughts; Lisa quickly went into settings and turned off call forwarding. She took a minute to breath as she put her phone back in her pocket; trying to calm and compose herself. After a minute, she thought it would be best to get up and go for a walk before going to help Wednesday and her friends; not wanting them to see her suddenly upset.

Lisa walked out of her room and closed the door behind her as she prepared for her short walk. But as she entered the hallway, a faint sound reached her ears. She blinked in fascination as she listened; wondering what it was and where it was coming from. She took a few steps down the hall before she figured out what it was. It was piano music. And it was coming from downstairs. Lisa slowly made her way down the hall and poked her head around the corner to look downstairs; wandering who was making that lovely sound.

Lisa blinked in surprise to see the family's butler sitting at the piano; playing a slow, slightly sorrowful yet alluring tune. From where she was standing, she could see that Lurch was very focused yet relaxed and into what he was doing. It was like he was in his own little world as he made the piano sing a tune. Lisa let her curiosity get the best of her and slowly made her way down the stairs; moving closer towards the butler to get a better look at him as he played. Lurch paid no attention to her as she approached; even when she was standing right next to him as he continued to play. Lisa just watched him in complete silence as he got to the intense part of the song he was playing; his eyes closed as he hit each note correctly. Just as he was about to reach the climax of the song, he turned his head to his right where Lisa was standing. The butler opened his eyes only slightly at that moment to see her. He accidentally hit the wrong note as he gasped and took his hands away from the piano; his eyes only slightly wider than they usually were as he realised he had an audience.

Lisa quickly realized what she was doing and responded.

"Oh, I'm sorry; I didn't realise I was getting so close." Lisa quickly apologised before explaining herself. "I was just going to see Wednesday and her friends when I heard somebody playing music. I didn't mean to scare you. I just wanted to have a look."

Lurch relaxed a little as Lisa explained why she snuck up on him like that. He was never shy about people hearing him play. He just did not realize she was there and it surprised him a little; even if his usually stoic face was not showing it.

"It's, fine..." The butler said deeply and quietly as he straightened himself out.

Lisa smiled a little as she rubbed the back of her neck as she looked down at the floor; looking up as she started talking again.

"You play beautifully." She commented as she pointed at the instrument.

Lurch found himself turning away and looking down at the keys of the piano; his cheeks faintly turning pink as he let out a quiet yet throaty grunt in response. Lisa just assumed he was trying to say thank you as she had a closer look at the piano. She looked in quiet awe at the artwork of a green and lush forest underneath the lid while feeling slightly unnerved by the battle axe that was being used as a lid prop. But she quickly brushed that aside as Lurch began to stare at her.

"Is this your piano?" Lisa asked out of curiosity as she looked at the string and wire work inside.

Lurch shook his head slowly.

"Belongs to the family..." He answered in his slow speech as he pointed at the instrument.

Lisa nodded as she looked up at the stairs; thinking of the pipe organ sitting at the top.

"So I guess that's a family item too?" She asked as she pointed to it.

"Came with the house..." Lurch clarified for her.

Lisa wondered what the giant of a man meant by came with the house. But she stopped and thought about something as she nodded to let him know she understood.

"It's probably a good thing it did. It would be way too heavy to move up the stairs." She commented before going on to a different subject. "Ya know. I just realised something."

Lurch stared in interest as Lisa went on.

"I don't think we properly met. I mean we haven't introduced ourselves properly since Sunday." She said with a nervous smile. "All I did was scream at you and put myself in a brief coma."

Lurch nodded in agreement as he remembered how horrified she was when he tried getting her out of the bushes out front and how she accidentally knocked herself out. And when he gave her glasses back to her when she lost them and screamed when she got a clear look at him. Lisa cleared her throat nervously before holding her hand out towards the butler.

"I'm Lisa." She properly introduced herself; no screaming this time.

Lurch blinked as Lisa held her hand out to him. But he slowly brought himself to reach out and shake her hand with his; quickly noticing how small and skinny she was compared to his large self.

"...I'm, Lurch..." The butler properly introduced himself before letting her go.

Lisa played with her sleeves a bit before continuing the conversation of the piano.

"This must be pretty old." She commented on the scratches and marks on the instrument. "I've only seen a few pianos, but they're usually pretty new looking or glammed up."

Lurch listened and thought As Lisa began talking about some people she knew who played the piano. He wanted to her sing again like she did the other night in her room. He wanted to be sure it really was her and not a ghost of a relative haunting the house. Maybe he could get her to do it if he was subtle about it; maybe get her to mention it somehow through careful questions.

"You, like music?" The butler asked the young lady; hoping to make conversation with her.

"Like? I love music." Lisa answered with a light snicker before talking some more. "I'm a fan of all the good stuff. Queen, David Bowie, Gang of Youths, Elton, some of Slim Shady, The Cure; just about anything that's not a boy band... Or really gross rap that's about sexualized men or woman. Anything but that. And I really love movie soundtracks too; specifically, musicals."

Lurch nodded before he turned to the piano and pointed at it.

"You, play?" The butler asked as he looked back at his visitor.

Lisa shook her head before answering.

"Oh, I've never played the piano or any other instruments in my life." She answered honestly before talking some more. "I was in music club in high school and I did a little bit of-"

Lurch watched as Lisa quickly realized what she was about to say but stopped herself before she did; like she did not want to. The butler tilted his head to the side a little in confusion.

"Did what?..." He asked; wanting to know what she was going say she did in high school; even if he probably already knew the answer.

Lisa made a funny noise of uncertainty as she rubbed the back of her neck; not really wanting to answer. But Lurch knew what she was going to say anyway.

"I... Did a little bit of singing." Lisa answered with hesitation.

Lisa took a small step back as Lurch leaned forward towards her; looking only slightly more interested then he was before. Really, Lurch was only pretending to be surprised. Well, as surprised as he could look anyway.

"You, sing?" He asked; hoping to hear it again like the other night.

Lisa made a questionable face as she rubbed her arm; trying to think of a way to answer while saying she did not want to sing without saying it.

"Well; I haven't done it since high school and I'm not very good at it. I mostly just do it when I'm sad or bored. Or when I'm really happy." She under sold herself again; hoping the butler would suddenly become uninterested.

Lurch let out a quiet and short groan as he still stared at her with quiet anticipation. Lisa quickly realized she should not have told him that; knowing what he wanted despite his almost unreadable face.

"You don't actually want to hear it do you?" She questioned the butler and his sense of taste.

Lurch responded with a rather eager nod. Lisa just made an uncertain noise as she shook her head; not really wanting to sing in front of someone she barely knew.

"Please?"

Lisa blinked and replaced her uncertain expression with mild surprise when Lurch asked quite politely. People who asked to hear her sing were usually quite rude and demanding about it; never saying please or asking if she was too busy to do it. Lurch watched as she took a few seconds to think about it.

"Well... only because you said please." Lisa reconsidered; making Lurch sit up in anticipation. "But I'm not sure if you know any songs that I know word for word."

Lurch watched as Lisa took out her phone and started looking something up on it. After half a minute of this, she looked up at the butler with a small smile.

"Can you play this?" She asked the giant as she handed her phone to him.

Lurch carefully took the mobile device from her and looked at the screen as he took out and put on his reading glasses. He nodded as he recognized the song she wanted him to play; handing her phone back to her as he put his reading glasses back in his coat and turning back to the piano. Lurch briefly glanced at her; silently asking if she was ready.

"Go ahead." Lisa said as she cleared her throat.

With that being said, Lurch began playing the song Lisa asked for on the piano. After the first few notes, Lisa took a quiet breath before she began to sing.

_It's a little bit funny this feeling inside_

_I'm not one of those who can easily hide, _

_I Don't have much money but boy if I did_

_I'd buy a big house where we both could live_

Lurch almost stopped playing when a soft and light sound came from Lisa. Not because he thought it was terrible or hard to listen to. But because it sounded like an angel just walked into the room. It was just like what he heard the other night; only it was clear as a full moon on a cloudless night.

_If I was a sculptor, but then again no_

_Or a man who makes potions in a traveling show_

_Oh I know it's not much but it's the best I can do_

_My gift is my song_

_And this one's for you_

Wednesday read over her lines as Parker went over hers while Carrie and Sherrie looked at music and sound effects they could use for the play on their phones; waiting for Lisa to come and help them with the portrait of Lenore.

"Prophet! Thing of evil! Prophet still!" Parker rehearsed her lines before looking at Wednesday. "Do I sound too Angry?"

"I like what you're doing with your tone of voice, but maybe save a bit of that angry for 'be that word our sign of parting' and when you fly into a fit of rage and attack the Raven." Wednesday advised her leading lady.

"Don't go into full rage made until the big finish; got it."

While Parker started reading over her lines, Carrie poked her head up as a very faint noise reached her ears. The twin held her hand close to her ear as she stood up; her sister quickly noticing.

"You alright, sis?" Sherrie asked her sister what she was doing.

"I hear something. Listen." Carrie commented as her sister also stood up.

Parker and Wednesday quieted down so they could also hear the noise Carrie was talking about. Wednesday blinked as she tried making put what it was. It sounded like Lurch was playing a tune on the piano. But there was something else along with it.

"Is somebody singing?" Parker asked as she listened.

"Let's go find out what that is." Carrie and Sherrie said in unison as they made their way to the door.

_And you can tell everybody this is your song_

_It may be quite simple but now that it's done_

_I hope you don't mind_

_I hope you don't mind_

_That I put down in words_

_How wonderful life is while you're in the world_

Wednesday and her friends slowly made their way down the hall and followed the sound of the music. Parker poked her head around the corner to see the source of it; quietly telling the girls to come and have a look. Wednesday just blinked and watched while the twins let out light and quiet gasps as Lisa continued to sing with Lurch accompanying her on the piano.

_I sat on the roof and kicked off the moss_

_Well a few of the verses well they've got me quite cross_

_But the sun's been quite kind_

_While I wrote this song_

_It's for people like you that_

_Keep it turned on_

"Mon Amor."

Gomez kissed the arm of his beloved as she continued speaking French into his ear; fanning the flame that was his passion and undying love for the cactus in the garden of his life. Morticia was about to speak another word, but the sounds coming from above in the living room reached her ears; making her silent as she listened. Gomez quickly noticed and looked up at his soul mate in concern.

"Darling, is something wrong? Why have you stopped?" Gomez asked as Morticia looked up towards the ceiling.

"Do you hear that, Gomez?" Morticia directed her husband to the sound as she gently lifted his chin up towards the ceiling.

Gomez listened and nodded as he recognized one sound. But he heard another sound he never heard before.

"I think that's Lurch practicing the piano; but I don't recall him having a voice like that." Mr Addams commented with a little smile.

"I don't think that's Lurch singing, darling." Morticia said as the husband and wife went up to have a look and listen.

While Morticia and Gomez made their way up from the dungeon towards the source of the music; Fester, Pugsley, Grandmama and Thing emerged from wherever and whatever they were doing as they also heard the sound of music coming from the living room. In a matter of seconds, Lisa and Lurch had an audience in hiding.

_So excuse me forgetting_

_But these things I do_

_You see I've forgotten_

_If they're green or they're blue_

_Anyway, the thing is, what I really mean_

_Yours are the sweetest eyes I've ever seen_

Morticia put her hand to her chest while Gomez held the other in his own hand as they listened to the pair make music together; smiling as they held each other gently. Wednesday watched her friends as they marvelled at the sight of Lurch accompanying the stranger as she poured her heart out in the song she sang. Fester, Pugsley and Grandmama watched with growing interest while Thing moved to the gentle rhythm of the song.

_And you can tell everybody this is your song_

_It may be quite simple but_

_Now that it's done_

_I hope you don't mind_

_I hope you don't mind_

_That I put down in words_

_How wonderful life is while you're in the world_

_I hope you don't mind_

_I hope you don't mind_

_That I put down in words_

_How wonderful life is while you're in the world_

Lurch kept his breath still and eyes closed as he played the finishing notes of the song; gently taking his hands away after hitting the last note. Lisa took a quiet sigh of relief as she finished singing; glad that it was over and done with.

The young lady almost jumped as she heard sudden cheering and applause. She turned around to see Morticia and Gomez coming from around the corner as they cheered her and Lurchs performance while Wednesday and the girls ran down stairs; the three of them cheering while Wednesday just clapped. Fester, Pugsley and Grandmama cheered and applauded as they came from where they were hiding; Thing giving a continuous thumbs up.

"Lisa, that was just marvellous." Morticia commented as she and Gomez approached with kind intentions.

"Your voice could lure sailors to their watery doom." Gomez gave Lisa what she thought was maybe a compliment.

"Absolutely magnifique."

Gomez quickly grabbed his wife's arm and began kissing it.

"You know what that French does to me, Tish." He said in between kisses; Lisa watching in confusion before the girls came up to her.

"That was awesome, girlfriend!" Carrie said as she gently grabbed Lisa's arm.

"You sound amazing!" Sherrie added with a jump in her step.

"You should be on America's talent quest, man." Parker added as she crossed her arms in approval.

"Yes. Your performance was quite moving." Wednesday said with very little emotion in her voice.

Lisa managed a nervous smile as everyone gathered around her and Lurch. Pugsley and Fester quickly noticed something about Lurch.

"Hey, it definitely moved Lurch." Fester commented as he pointed at the butler.

"Yeah, he looks upset." Pugsley pointed out.

Lisa turned her head to see what the uncle and dynamite obsessed child were talking about. The nervous smile on her face turned into a worrisome grimace when she saw Lurch standing up from his seat and wiping his sleeve against his eyes and let out a light sniffle.

"Beautiful..." The butler deeply muttered as Thing handed him a tissue to use.

Lisa had it set in her mind that she somehow hurt Lurchs feelings until Mr and Mrs Addams explained why the man was suddenly crying into a tissue.

"Isn't that just sweet, Gomez?" Morticia said as she held her husband's arm affectionately.

"Lurch is quite the music lover. He must really like the way you sound if he reacts like that." Gomez commented as he took out an already lit cigar from his front pocket.

Lisa blinked before turning her head slightly to look at Lurch; who was getting quickly straightened himself out when he noticed the young lady staring. Lisa quickly looked away as she cleared her throat with a light cough; looking at Mrs Addams before speaking.

"Umm, Morticia? I'm gonna help the girls with a part of their project by drawing and painting something up for them." She explained before asking the woman in black a question. "Is it okay if I borrow some brushes and paints?"

"Of course, dear. Let me show where I keep the art supplies." Morticia mentioned for Lisa to follow her.

Lisa was about to follow Mrs Addams when she felt someone gently grab her hand; making her look down to see Carrie smiling at her.

"You sound so amazing, girl." She commented as the girls followed her and Morticia.

"Did you ever take lessons or are you self taught?" Sherrie asked with a similar smile to her sister.

Lurch and Gomez watched as his beloved took the girls with her to get art supplies. When they were out of the room, Gomez turned around to have a word with Lurch. But he quickly noticed something odd with the butler.

"Are you feeling alright, Lurch?" Mr Addams asked the giant.

Lurch just responded with a light grunt at his employers question.

"Your face has turned red." Grandmama said as she pointed at him and his sudden change in colour.

Lurch blinked in confusion at the elderly woman's accusation before he lifted his hand to his face; expecting the usual coldness it always had. But his eyes widened slightly when he felt something else. He felt warmth.

"Yeah; he looked like that earlier today." Fester remembered as Lurch slowly pulled a confused grimace. "Maybe he's sick."

"I hope it's bat fever. I need some of that for my collection." Grandmama with a rather unsettling smile.

Lurch shook his head before letting out a disinterested moan; covering his face as he ran upstairs and out of site. This left everyone in the living baffled as they stared at the top of the stairs.

"Wow. He really is sick." Fester spoke with little to no speculation.

"He probably ate some of Grandmamas' salamander puffs. He just can't handle those really sweet desserts." Pugsley theorized before picking his ears.

Fester and Grandmama nodded in agreement with the boys theory on why the butler was acting so strange. But Gomez put his hand to his chin in thought; thinking that Lurch was not really ill. It was something else, but he could not put his finger on what it really was.

* * *

**AN: He's not sick. But he's got it bad, if you know what I mean. ;)**


	9. Pop tarts and Coffee

AN: This chapter will be a bit dialogue heavy.

* * *

Lisa hummed a busy little tune to herself as she drew a sketch of what would soon be a portrait of a woman on the medium sized canvas she borrowed from Morticia. While she knew she had plenty of time to get it finished, she wanted to make sure it was as good as she could make it. She already had an idea for what she wanted it to look like. But she wanted to asked Wednesday and her friends for input; wanting to know if they had any ideas of what Lenore would look like.

Sitting up from her position on the floor, she took a good look at her work in progress. It almost looked like a person. But it still needed facial features and details. Feeling her right wrist getting a little sore, Lisa decided it was time for a break; telling herself she made a good amount of progress already. She grunted as she lifted herself off the bedroom floor and stretched her limbs before picking up the canvas; leaning it on the end of the bed so it was out of her or anyone's way. She looked down as her stomach let out a short grumble; making her realise that she had not eaten anything since breakfast. She did not think anyone would mind if she grabbed a little snack from the kitchen as she walked out of the guestroom. Though she recalled the incident with the chili powder; thinking she might accidentally eat some cursed food or eat what she thinks would be an apple, but then it turned out to be a monsters heart. Nothing in this house really was what it looks like at first. Like the family living in it.

Lisa almost got lost in thought as she heard the front door opening. She poked her head around the corner to see Wednesday coming in; closing the door behind her as she came. Lisa blinked when she noticed it was just Wednesday. Parker, Carrie and Sherrie were nowhere to be seen. She began to make her way down the stairs; quickly being noticed by Wednesday.

"The girls couldn't make it this afternoon. It's just me." Wednesday confirmed as Lisa came down.

"They all got a bug or something?" Lisa assumed the reason why they were missing.

Wednesday shook her head with a no.

"Carrie and Sherrie have a dentist appointment and Parker is going to be face timing with her father. So it's just me this afternoon." The child in black explained as she put her bag down to stretch.

Lisa nodded as Wednesday looked around for any trace of her family before looking up at their guest.

"Where is everyone else?" The child in black asked; wondering if everyone disappeared or something.

"I think your dad and uncle are teaching Pugsley how to make fireworks and your mom and grandma are mixing potions in the basement. I'm not sure what Lurch and Thing are doing or where they are." Lisa told Wednesday what she thought everyone was up to.

Lisa almost jumped as she heard a deep purr coming from behind her. Wednesday passed her as Lisa looked behind herself to see the child in black greeting Kitty Kat. Lisa stayed very still as the large lion looked right at her; thinking he might see her as some kind of snack. Wednesday could tell Lisa was a bit anxious around the jungle cat.

"Don't worry. He doesn't want to eat you." Wednesday reassured her as Kitty slowly came over to her. "He's really more afraid of you then you are of him."

Lisa just stayed still and stared as Kitty started sniffing her. Lisa glanced at Wednesday before talking to her.

"So, he doesn't eat people?" She asked; thinking she hopefully was not on the menu for this large feline.

Wednesday shook her head no.

"He doesn't like the taste. He really likes the taste of kangaroo, though." She told Lisa like it was a normal thing to say.

Lisa just continued to stare as Kitty lost interest and walked away; finding the young lady's scent a tad odd yet nothing to fuss over. Lisa took a breath of relief when the lion went upstairs and disappeared around the corner. She noticed Wednesday looking at her with a raised brow; a rather awkward silence filling the room as they said nothing. Lisa rubbed the back of her neck before remembering way she came down here.

"So... Is there anything edible in your kitchen that won't kill me?" The young lady asked the child in black with a nervous grin.

Wednesday blinked at the woman with a questionable stare; having trouble understanding what she meant.

"I'm quite sure any food we have in the kitchen is edible. But please, do explain what you mean." She asked Lisa to explain her definition of edible.

"I mean do you have anything that isn't laced with poison, acid, chili powder, cyanide... stuff that you and your family can have, but I can't because it could kill me?" Lisa explained with much detail. "I kinda forgot to eat today, and I'm a little hungry."

Wednesday looked away for a couple of seconds before looking up at her with unemotional eyes.

"Come with me." She instructed; turning and making her way to the kitchen.

Lisa blinked in question as she followed Wednesday to the kitchen. Wednesday led the young woman to the kitchen pantry; making sure no one but her and Lisa were there as the lights came on with a flicker. Lisa watched as Wednesday bent down to a low shelf of the pantry cupboard and started rearranging items at the front to reach something at the back.

"Don't tell my mother about this. She's learned to accept other people, but she still thinks pink is a gateway colour. She wouldn't want me eating something that's pink especially." The child in black explained as she pulled out a large tin box from the back of the cupboard.

Lisa tilted her head in confusion at the odd mention of the colour pink. She watched as Wednesday opened the tin and took out another smaller box. Lisa gasped as she saw what it was.

Strawberry flavoured pop tarts.

"oh my god, are this actual pop tarts?" She questioned in a quiet tone of astonishment.

"Parker gave me one of this once; but they were of the chocolate variety." Wednesday explained as she got up and walked out of the pantry. "The colour of these is quite ghastly. But I quite enjoy the flavour. Do you want one?"

"Oh god, yes; I haven't had pop tarts since I was five years old!" Lisa said with a rather eager tone as she followed Wednesday out of the pantry.

Wednesday raised a brow at the young woman as she opened the box of confections to toast one of them.

"For that long?" She questioned as she took one out and put it in an old looking toaster.

"Yeah. My mom stopped letting me have them after I ate a whole box and went on a massive sugar rush. She could never look at the neighbours in eye after I ran into their apartment screaming about how I was the lizard queen." Lisa said with an awkward laugh; remembering how her mother would always bring it up at family gatherings.

Wednesday just nodded with a blank face.

"Interesting." She muttered as she reached into another cupboard and took out a coffee mug. "You take coffee with your pop tart?"

"No thanks, I'm alright." Lisa politely declined the offer.

"more for me then."

Lisa watched as Wednesday took out a jug of coffee on the bench and poured it into the mug. The young lady blinked at the sight as the pop tart jumped out of the toaster.

"Aren't you a bit young to be drinking coffee?" She asked the child in black; getting a raised brow from her before clarifying. "I'm not judging; I'm just thinking it would make you a pit hyper or stop you from growing."

"It's nothing to be concerned about. I only have a cup when I really feel like it." Wednesday explained bluntly before taking a sip. "If I think I need to grow anymore, I'll just use the rack."

Lisa wanted to say something about the mention of a rack; like the medieval torture device. But she decided to say nothing as she took her freshly toasted pop tart out of the toaster and took a bite. Immediately, she started giggling at the taste; getting a blank look from Wednesday as she leaned on the counter.

"Thank you so much. I completely forgot to eat today." Lisa thanked Wednesday as she savoured the toasted confection.

"What were you doing all day?" Wednesday asked out of curiosity.

"I did a sketch of Lenores portrait." Lisa explained her deeds of today.

"How's that going?" Wednesday asked before taking another sip.

"The sketching is almost done; so, I should start painting it in a couple of days." Lisa explained before asking Wednesday a question. "Is there any way you want it to look? Like do you want her to have a specific hair colour or anything?"

Wednesday took a moment to think before responding.

"Maybe don't make her look too bright. Aside from that, you can do it however you see fit." Wednesday said; giving Lisa some creative freedom aside from the brightness.

Lisa nodded as she finished her pop tart; glancing at the window beside her and Wednesday. She turned her head to have a look at what it showed. It had a few spots of dirt and grime on it; but it was easy to see what was outside. Lisa could see what she assumed was the back of the house; seeing a few hedges and the gazebo where she had the seance with her father yesterday. See could see the rain was being light for the moment; only sprinkling instead of pouring.

"Weather's starting to calm down." Lisa pointed out the change in the weather.

"It'll be hot and humid when the sun tries to come out." Wednesday said with a very small hint of venom in her voice.

Lisa just shrugged with a nod of agreement. But she stopped when she noticed something else outside. A rather large figure was out in the sprinkling rain with a pair of gardening shears. Lisa blinked when she realized it was just Lurch trimming the hedges; probably taking advantage of the break in the weather to do some outdoor chores. Lisa watched him for a couple of seconds as he struggled to cut anything with the rusty shears; eventually giving up on them when Thing handed him a chainsaw to use instead. Lisa turned back in thought for a moment before looking back to Wednesday.

"You mind if I ask you a question?" She asked the child in black as she fiddled with her hands.

"What about?" Wednesday asked before finishing her coffee.

"It's about your butler."

Wednesday looked up at Lisa as she mentioned Lurch; wondering what she had to asked about him.

"You mean Lurch?" She asked for clarification as she placed her mug in the sink.

"Yeah. How exactly did he become your butler?" Lisa asked out of curiosity.

Wednesday took a moment to think before she answered the question.

"Well, me and Pugsley have pretty much known him since the days we were born." She started as she leaned on the counter. "Mother and father told me they took him in right after they got married."

"Aww, that's sweet." Lisa quietly commented with a little smile.

"They hired him after Thing ran into him with the car on the highway."

Lisa's smile turned into a worrisome grimace when Wednesday said that.

"I assume he was okay." Lisa tried to picture the result of a car hitting the giant; the image of a destroyed vehicle and a giant unharmed forming in her brain.

"He's quite durable." Wednesday answered Lisa's assumption. "I honestly don't know where he came from. I just always thought of him as one of the family from the start. Pugsley thought he was some kind of gorilla up until he was eight though."

Lisa nodded slowly; understanding why a young Pugsley would think that. Though it made her wonder if the butler was always so stone faced as he looked during her time here with the family.

"I'm sure he has some kind of personality." Lisa thought out loud before asking. "But... Is he always so... intimidating?"

Wednesday thought about what Lisa was asking for a second before answering.

"I lot of people down below in town seem to think of him that way. But he really isn't." Wednesday spoke on the butler behalf. "Maybe it has something to do with his height. But he's actually quite gentle. He would never hurt anyone; not unless they deserve it. It's just a matter of getting to know him and getting past his hard exterior."

Lisa took a moment a think before she thought of a comparison.

"So he's like a tootsiepop." The young lady commented with a slightly awkward laugh; getting a questionable look from the child in black.

"A what?" Wednesday asked; not knowing what a tootsiepop was.

"Ya know those lollipops with chocolate in them? They're hard and tough on the outside, but soft and sweet on the inside. Ya see what I mean? He's tough, but sweet."

Wednesday nodded slowly; knowing what Lisa was trying to say, but still unsure what a tootsiepop actually was. The conversation made her remember something from this morning before she went to school.

"I've noticed that he's been acting rather odd as of late." Wednesday remembered something Pugsley told her yesterday evening.

"How so?" Lisa asked as she scratched her nose.

"I noticed this morning at breakfast, he was a bit preoccupied with something. I asked him for orange juice; but he poured me cranberry juice by mistake. And yesterday, Pugsley told me that he went all red in his face after the duet you two had together." Wednesday explained as she grabbed an apple from the fruit bowl on the counter.

"He did cry over a song; that can make anybody a bit red. I hope I didn't hurt his feelings." Lisa thought out loud in a slightly worried tone.

"You didn't. He just really liked the sound of your voice."

Lisa looked away for a moment as she became rather flustered; her face turning a light shade of pink as a little smile came on. Wednesday quickly noticed her change in colour; recalling what Pugsley told her. The child in black took a Bite out of her apple as she thought about it; thinking it probably was not any of her business. Then she thought of something that was her business.

"So I know I already asked, but how exactly is the portrait going?" Wednesday asked; trying to change the subject.

"It's a work in progress. You wanna have a look?" Lisa asked if Wednesday wanted to see.

Wednesday just nodded with a shrug of indifference; wondering how the artist does her work. She turned around as she finished her apple; leaving the kitchen as she threw it away into a regular looking bin. Lisa thought it was regularly. Until it made a loud belching sound with a flash flame coming out. Lisa ignored it as she was about to follow Wednesday. But she stopped to look out the window as Lurch finished trimming the hedges and shaping them into gargoyles. Lisa almost smiled at the sight; thinking it was quite lovely and impressive. But she quickly gasped and looked back as Lurch turned in her direction; quickly following Wednesday as she told her to wait up.

Meanwhile in the backyard, Lurch blinked in confusion as Lisa disappeared from the kitchen window; letting out a quiet groan as he looked down at the ground. Thing jumped up on the butler's shoulder as he began to leave and go inside. But the giant stopped and froze right in front of the door. Lurch slowly brought one hand to his chest as odd feelings slowly emerged from nowhere. The giant let out a confused moan as a sudden coldness emerged in his guts, yet there was a contrasting warmth in his chest. Before he could dwell on it any further, Thing started tapping on his shoulder in Morse code and made him look.

"You alright?" The dismembered hand asked in Morse as he tapped on the butlers shoulder.

Lurch realized what he was doing and straightened himself out.

"I'm, fine..." He answered simply like nothing happened; mentality telling himself it was just the weather and nothing was wrong with him.


	10. Girls Afternoon Out

**AN: The First section of this chapter begins with a graphic nightmare sequence. If you find descriptions of someone being attacked and threatened disturbing or uncomfortable, I suggest you skip to the section that is not in bold lettering.**

**Anyway, enjoy the chapter.**

* * *

**Lisa slowly awoke from her peaceful sleep as she heard an odd sound. Slowly, she sat up on the bed and reached for her glasses on the bedside table; despite the night time darkness momentarily blinding her anyway. Lisa blinked as her eyes slowly adjusted to the dark; another odd Sound making her look around. She blinked at the sound of wooden floorboards creaking in the room.**

**"Hello?" Lisa asked; thinking one of the kids snuck in here. "That you, Wednesday?"**

**Lisa felt her insides turning cold when she got no response. Nothing could be heard but her own breath. She made a slightly worried noise as she laid on her side; closing her eyes in an attempt to get back to sleep.**

**"Thought you could hide from me, did ya?"**

**Lisa could barely let out a horrified gasp before she felt a hand force itself over her mouth; muffling her screams as her attacker wrapped one arm around her waist and stopping her arms from moving. Lisa felt her head being forced to the right; seeing a silhouette of the man attacking her from behind. Pale blue eyes glowed in her face while a Cheshire cat grin stared at her with sinister laughter through his teeth.**

**"You shouldn't have run away like that, Sugar." The attacking silhouette said through his teeth with a demented tone of voice as Lisa struggled. "I think someone needs to be punished."**

**The attacker quickly pushed Lisa forward; dropping her face first on the seemingly hard mattress before forcibly turning her on her back.**

**"NO, LET ME GO!" Lisa struggled desperately to get away as she shouted; hoping someone would hear her cries for help. "SOMEONE; HELP-"**

**Lisa was cut off as her attacker forced his hand over her mouth again; climbing on top of her legs so she couldn't move. Lisa tried to punch and defend herself; but the sheets of her bed came to life and grabbed her arms to restrain her. The attacker let out a sinister laugh as he used his free hand to lift her night shirt up; exposing her midsection as she let out muffled screams. The attacker let out a sinister cackle as lightning flashed outside; showing a demonic face for half a second as his ghastly grin grew wider.**

**"You should know your place by now, Lisa." The attacker threatened Lisa as he put a hand behind his back.**

**Lisa went silent and still as terrified tears began to emerge from her eyes. The shadowy attacker brought his hand from behind his back with an object obscured in the darkness. But a flash of lightning made it visible for a second; making Lisa go wide eyed in horror over what it was. A switchblade.**

**"You belong to me." The attacker spoke in a harsh whisper as he positioned the blade over her midsection. "Maybe you need a reminder."**

**Lisa quickly went back to struggling as her attacker slowly placed the blade against her skin; screaming through her muffled mouth as she felt the cold steel. Soon her screams filled the room as she felt a horrible burn on the skin of her stomach; thinking she was being sliced up by hot metal.**

**"GEETTT OOUUUUTTT!"**

* * *

Lisa gasped for air as she sat up out of bed; the sound of demonic screaming erupting in the guestroom that shook the foundation. Lisa could hear that along with her heartbeat pounding against her eardrums; quickly realising it was morning as she looked around frantically and the shaking stopped. She quickly looked down and lifted up her night shirt; her breath slowing down when she found no fresh wounds or scars that she could feel with her hand. The young lady let her shirt fall down and exhaled when she realised it was just an extremely vivid nightmare.

"It's okay. He's not here. He can't hurt you." She quietly told herself as she laid back down.

Lisa did a couple of anxiety reducing exercises. She counted up to one hundred, tapped her fingers lightly against her thumbs one by one and tried thinking happy thoughts. pop tarts, drawing, singing, Japanese cheesecake; anything that reduced her stress. After a few minutes, Lisa got her breathing under control and sat up out of bed; leaning over towards the bedside table and grabbing her glasses and phone. She checked the time as she put her glasses on; finding out it was mildly early in the morning.

7:26AM

Lisa blinked as she looked at the time; thinking everyone was probably going down for breakfast right about now. She definitely was not going back to sleep after that horrible nightmare; putting her phone down as she got up and rubbed any remaining sleep her left eye before getting dressed; leaving the room and going downstairs. Maybe a decent breakfast would help her get over that horror movie in her head.

Lisa made it to the dining room just as breakfast was being served to the family; quickly being noticed by Mr and Mrs Addams as she came in.

"Good morning, Ms Lisa. Did you sleep well?" Gomez as he finished his morning paper.

Lisa wanted to answer. But she did not really want to talk about the bad dream she experienced.

"Like, the dead?" She said as she took a seat between Wednesday and Fester. "That was until I heard someone screaming 'get out' and it shook the room."

"Oh, that was just the house spirit; don't worry about it." Fester explained what that demonic shouting was earlier.

"He's usually quite grumpy before he has his morning coffee." Morticia added as Lurch placed a plate of today's breakfast in front of Lisa.

Lisa had a look at what she thought was bacon and poached eggs. Though she had a feeling it was probably hog bacon and poached ostrich eggs because the egg was quite large. But she did not really care as long as it tasted okay.

"I'd say I know how that feels, but I don't drink a lot of coffee." She replied as she grabbed a knife and fork to start eating.

"I know how it feels." Wednesday replied as she and Pugsley played with their food.

While Fester and Grandmama brought up a conversation about coffee with things like poison and Cyanide, Lisa dug into her plate and started eating; hoping focusing on food might get the images of her dream out of her head. But before she could even eat a small slice of bacon, she felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned her head to see Lurch standing there with a glass of pineapple juice; offering her a beverage as he held it towards her.

"Thank you, Lurch." She politely thanked him as she gently took the glass out of his hands.

Lurch let out a short grunt of acknowledgment as he started serving beverages to everyone else. But when he got to pouring a glass of blood orange juice for Pugsley, he started looking over at Lisa again. He noticed how deep in thought she was as she slowly ate her breakfast; like she had something lingering over her head that was bothering her. Lurch wondered if there was something wrong with her. But he quickly snapped out of it when he heard Pugsley calling out his name and turned to him.

"I think that's enough orange juice, Lurch." The boy said worryingly as he pointed to the glass.

Lurch was not sure what the boy meant until he looked at what he was pointing at; seeing the glass full and overflowing onto the table. The butler quickly took the pitcher away and grabbed a tea towel before the fruit juice could overflow off the table.

"Sorry..." He apologized before cleaning up the mess.

Pugsley just told Lurch not to worry too much about it. But Wednesday noticed the butler did not seem all there. She decided to dismiss the thought as she went back to her own breakfast. Morticia was about to dig into hers when she heard Gomez make a mildly disappointed sound as he looked at his paper.

"Something wrong, darling?" Morticia asked her husband what was troubling him.

"I was just looking at the weather report. It seems the lovely rain and thunderstorms are going to stop sometime next week." Gomez read the weather report again to make sure he was reading it right.

Everyone besides Lisa, Lurch and Wednesday let out collective sounds of confusion and disappointed. Lisa just watched in confusion while Wednesday and Lurch just shook their heads.

"So much for the lovely fall weather." Morticia said with distaste; dreading any sunny and warm day.

"It's still Autumn, darling. There will always be a cloudy and dark day for us. Along with those cool, dark nights." Gomez reassured his beloved as he gently held her hand.

Morticia gave her husband a subtle look of adoration as he gave her a gentle yet passionate kiss on the hand he held; whispering that she was as cold as a winter night. Lisa watched the sight with a raised brow. But she quickly looked away when Morticia noticed her staring.

"Something wrong, dear?" Morticia asked; thinking something was bothering Lisa.

Lisa shook her head.

"I've just got a lot on my mind." She said before eating a piece of her egg.

Lisa swallowed the piece of egg before she noticed Grandmama staring at her quite suspiciously.

"Do I have something on my face?" She asked; slightly uncomfortable with being stared at.

"No; I just noticed you're wearing the clothes you had on yesterday." The elder said as she pointed to Lisa's wrinkled shirt. "And the things that I think are yours are all in the wash."

Lisa looked down at her clothes; silently scolding herself when noticed how wrinkled her clothes were.

"Well, that's just great." She said with an annoyed sigh; realising she has almost used up all the clothes in her suitcase.

"You've gone through all your clothes already?" Morticia; wandering how much Lisa actually packed into her suitcase.

"I have a bad habit of wearing whatever I had on the day before when I'm running out or everything I wear is still in the laundry. Guess I should've packed a bit more."

Lisa looked down at her half-finished plate as she shook her head; thinking she was a complete idiot. But looked up and turned her head when she felt Wednesday tap her on the shoulder.

"If you're interested, the girls and I were going to go hang out at the mall after school." The child in black explained what she and her friends were doing that afternoon. "If you want, you could come with us and we could help you find some place to get clothes or anything you want or need."

Lisa let out a very quiet sigh as she shook her head slightly.

"I appreciate that, Wednesday. But I don't have any money." She explained briefly of her financial situation.

Gomez quickly intervened when he heard Lisa say she had no money.

"Why, that's not a problem at all, Ms Lisa." Mr Addams smiled as he reached into his suit jacket and took out a large roll of bills.

Lisa held her hands up as Mr Addams shouted 'catch' before tossing the money at her. Lisa gave Mr Addams a rather puzzled look before looking at one of the bills; her eyes turning weird and a loud gasp escaping her lips.

"Are these all hundreds!?" She questioned as she looked back and forth between them and Gomez.

"They're all real too." Mr Addams answered with a proud smirk.

Wednesday and Pugsley watched as Lisa shook her head and got up out of her seat.

"Mr Addams; I can't take this! It's too much money! There's gotta be at least a thousand dollars here!" Lisa tried to give the money back.

"It's two thousand actually. But no; I insist." Gomez insisted Lisa to take the money. "You should go out and have fun with the girls. Whatever you don't end up spending this afternoon, you can give back. Or you can keep; I don't mind either way."

Lisa shuttered as she tried to find the words to politely refuse; but Wednesday came up to her and made the decision for her.

"He's not going to take no for an answer. Just take the money and say thank you." The child in black gave the young lady the best advice she had.

Lisa fell silent as She looked back and forth between the money and Mr Addamss' insistent smile; thinking he was either really generous and nice, or he just had more money than he needed and just wanted to give some away. Or he was just that much of a good person. Lisa took a moment to think. She could use an afternoon out of the house, and she really needed to get some clean clothes and pyjamas; among other things she preferred not to mention. And maybe some shampoo and conditioner to wash her greasing hair.

"... Thank you, Gomez. I guess I could treat myself a little..." She said hesitantly; getting an encouraging smile from Gomez before she realised something. "But I don't know where the mall is."

"Thing can drive you there just after school finishes. He probably wouldn't mind." Morticia reassured with a little smile that was a bit hard to notice.

Lisa blinked as she realised what Morticia said. Thing; a severed hand was going to drive her to the mall later. She was about to question how such a thing was even possible until Pugsley interrupted with a question.

"Can I go too? There's this parrot at the pet shop that I need to settle an argument with." Pugsleys asked while explaining why he wanted to go.

"Only if you finish that bomb you started making yesterday, Dear." Morticia said to her son.

Pugsley let out a rather mischievous smile before ducking under the table; popping back up with a clock attached to a large bundle of dynamite; showing it off with a look of pride. The grownups looked at the completed project with proud looks while Lisa took a step back.

"Very good, Pugsley dear. You can go this afternoon." Morticia said with a nod.

Pugsley threw his fist in the air in triumph while Lisa gave Wednesday a look of uncertainty. Wednesday shrugged as she shook her head.

Parker looked around the drop-off area before looking at the time on her phone; wondering what was taking Pugsley and Lisa.

"Maybe the car broke down." Carrie theorized as she played with a stick she found.

"Nah, it's probably just after school traffic." Sherrie said as she leaned on a nearby pole.

"Does Lisa know what time we were coming here?" Parker asked Wednesday as she put her phone in her pocket. "We should've gotten her number."

"They won't be too long; don't worry." Wednesday unemotionally reassured as she looked ahead at her road. "Thing is probably driving. They would be here faster if Pugsley was driving.

Before the girls could speculate any longer, the beep of an oncoming car sounded in the distance. Before too long, the Addamses car could be seen coming at top speed braking right in front of the drop-off area with a screeching halt. In a split second, the back door opened wide with Lisa falling out onto the footpath; muttering something about solid land as she kissed the ground. Pugsley crawled out of the backseat with a smile on his face before turning back to the front window.

"Thanks for the ride, Thing." The boy thanked as the window rolled down to reveal Thing at the wheel.

"We'll see you back here in a few hours." Wednesday thanked the dismembered hand before waving goodbye.

Thing briefly waved goodbye to the kids before getting back and the wheel and driving off; leaving the group to their own devices. Lisa finished praising the ground as she took a few anxious breathes; looking up as Wednesday approached her.

"Thing went through a red light or two, I presume?" The child in black asked; thinking that was the reason Lisa was kissing the ground.

Lisa just nodded before struggling to get up. Pugsley and the girls quickly helped her stand up; adjusting her backpack as she let out a short groan of pain from bumping around in that car.

"least that wasn't the worst ride I've ever had." She muttered as she rubbed her back.

"I know! I love it when Thing drives!" Pugsley said with a grin.

Wednesday just shook her head as she crossed her arms.

"Well, come on; let's go have some fun." The twins said in happy unison as they grabbed Lisa by her hands; pulling her into the mall entrance.

Everyone followed the sisters as they practically dragged Lisa into the building despite her insistent pleas to let her go. But she was soon silenced as she got a look at what was inside. The twins let go as Lisa looked at the new environment that she was in. She had been to a mall before; but not for quite some time. She forgot about the busyness of it. People everywhere doing their own thing like shopping or just hanging out with other people. From what she could see above, this place had five levels; wondering where everything was and what was actually here. Parker quickly spoke up with the time on her phone.

"Okay; we've got at least three and a half hours. That's plenty of time to help you find some new clothes and we can just do whatever after that." Parker said as she put her phone away in her pocket. "Where do you want to go first?"

Lisa blinked as she glanced at her bag; remembering the large amount of money Mr Addams tossed at her. She frowned with uncertainty as she looked down at the floor.

"I don't know. I don't feel right about spending someone elses' money." Lisa felt wrong about it despite Mr Addams insisting on it.

"Father really doesn't mind. If anything, he probably wants you to treat yourself." Wednesday reminded Lisa of what he said this morning.

"Yeah, girl. You shouldn't stop yourself from having a little fun." Sherrie added with a reassuring smile.

"Loosen up a little. If he didn't want to spend it, he wouldn't have given you all money." Carrie added with the same kind of smile.

"And I've seen him put more than enough money in donation boxes at school. I don't know where or how he gets it; but at least he's not hoarding it to himself." Parker added with a personal opinion.

Wednesday watched as Lisa's uncertain frown softened into a thoughtful yet blank face; reconsidering that maybe it was okay. Just as long as Mr Addams did not mind. But maybe it would fine if it was not just herself having a good afternoon.

"Well... if you're all gonna help me find something, you guys should have fun too; not just me." Lisa thought out loud.

"Nah, that's okay. You guys have your thing to do and I have mine." Pugsley declined before turning around.

The boy raised a brow as he spotted the pet store. And the parrot he had a grudge against.

"So, we meet again, professor Know-it-all." Pugsley muttered before turning back to group. "If you'll excuse me, I have an important matter to attend to."

The girls watched as Pugsley walked off towards the pet store; loudly yelling out 'hey featherface, remember me' as he approached.

"He's really going to spend three hours arguing with a bird?" Lisa questioned in a confused and dull tone.

"It's a wonder they haven't called security yet." Wednesday commented before turning to Lisa. "So where would you like to go first?"

Lisa looked down at the floor as she thought of a good place to get clothes that she liked. It would have to be somewhere with t-shirts, comfortable pants and shorts, maybe some makeup that came in all colours of the rainbow. One place did pop in her mind. One that she had not been to in years.

"Is there a Mad Rockers outlet here?" She asked.

All the girls about from Wednesday smiled before taking Lisa to the closest escalator; taking her to level three and going passed a few girlish clothing stores. The twins kept getting distracted by all the jewellery shops and everything in their windows, but Parker quickly got them back on track before losing them. After going around the corner and past a electronic appliance shop; Lisa let out a little squeal as a smile spontaneously appeared on her face.

Right in front of the group was the entrance to the place Lisa asked about; with big red and sharp lettering reading out 'Mad Rockers' above the entrance and a sign reading Halloween season sale now on. Wednesday blinked as she looked at into the entrance; seeing some rather interesting things in there from where she was standing. One corner had a wall of T-shirts, tops and long-sleeved shirts with rather colourful images printed on them; colourful being a strong word. There where clothing items in there, but there were further into the store and she could not see much. Though from the excited smile on Lisa's face, there must be a lot of good things in there.

"Yeah, I've been in this place a few times since they put it in. I think you might like what they got here, Wednesday." Parker said as the group walked in.

"How so?" Wednesday asked.

"Cause this place is awesome; that's why!" Lisa answered excitedly before explaining. "They have a Mad Rockers in New York that I always went too when I saved enough money or got a really good pay check! They've got alternative shirt and clothing options, cheap jewellery modelled after famous movies and musicians, makeup that comes in almost every colour in existence, pins and buttons to put on your clothes or bag, pop culture toys; even novelty kitchenware! I even got my sneakers from there; look!"

The girls looked at Lisa's red shoes as she pointed at them; noticing that they were a bit dirty and worn.

"Might be a good time to get new ones." Carrie said with unintentional snark as she pointed at the dirty laces.

"Hey, don't be rude!" Sherrie almost snapped at her sister.

"No, no; she's right. I actually do need to get new ones." Lisa agreed with Carrie with a nod before a joyful smile came on her face. "Ya know... Maybe Mr Addams wouldn't mind if I didn't just treat myself. About you guys pick out some things you like in here and we'll just see what happens?"

Wednesday and Parker looked at each other in confusion while Carrie and Sherrie gasped; quickly knowing what Lisa was saying.

"You mean, we should have a shopping frenzy?!" The twins questioned in unison with bright smiles on their faces.

"Well, maybe don't go too crazy; I don't want to go back to the house with no change." Lisa laid down one rule.

But the twins let out excited squeals as they ran into the store; going all the way towards the makeup section at the back. Parker just shrugged with a little smile as her and Wednesday led Lisa inside.

"It's probably a good thing they're having a sale. We might be here for a while." Parker joked; getting a little laugh from Lisa while Wednesday just nodded in agreement.

* * *

The next hour and a half was nothing but an adventure through a shop that was so much bigger then it looked from the outside to the put where the girls made a plan to meet and wait for each other at the counter when they finished. Lisa ended up looking through every part of the store before she picked out any clothes she had her heart set on. Carrie and Sherrie went into the cosmetic section to find makeup that did not just come in red, pink or flesh colours; but almost every colour that currently existed and what was on a rainbow. Parker find an outfit she thought could go with her gothic punk image while Wednesday looked at the pins and badges; finding the image of a jack o lantern headed person holding a knife surprisingly enduring. After finding some things she liked that were also on special, Lisa picked out what she wanted. A black hoodie with a sugar skull printed on it, some t-shirts, long sleeve shirts and sleeveless tops with funny or punkish images on them, a few pairs of pants in black and dark blue along with a couple of pairs of shorts, a red funnel shirt, a few new pairs of Halloween themed pyjamas and a pair of black sneakers like her old ones; along with a few pairs of earrings shaped like Ziggy Stardust lightning bolts and bat winged jack o lanterns.

The twins finally picked out what they liked from the rainbow cosmetics and a couple of clothing items. Carrie picked out gold and sapphire coloured lipstick with purple nail polish and a pair of black and white checked shorts while Sherrie picked out purple and orange lipstick with gold nail polish with a pair of rainbow striped shorts. Parker found a nice denim vest and a t-shirt with a flaming skull on it that she thought would look great for Halloween. Wednesday actually found a dress that she quite liked. It was black with images of roses dripping what looked like blood from their thorns and it was sleeveless; being held up by fashionable yet sensible straps. And it had pockets. She decided to just get that along with some black nail polish that she thought Thing might like. After going to the dressing rooms and trying on what they picked out, the girls made their way to the counter and Lisa brought out the lump of cash Mr Addams gave her; getting a funny smile from the casher.

"Won big in a game of poker did ya?" She joked as she started scanning the items and putting them in reusable bags.

"Nah, I don't know how to play poker." Lisa joked back with a laugh.

* * *

Lisa looked over the freshly cooked pizza as the waiter placed it on the table; delighted grins appearing on everyone but Wednesdays face as the waiter told them to enjoy.

"Mom is gonna be so mad when she finds out we had Pizza before dinner." Carrie said with a mischievous giggle as she picked a slice.

"I won't tell if you don't." Sherrie shared the expression as she took a Bite from her slice.

Parker took a slice as Lisa took a sip from the chocolate shake she ordered; her eyes squinting as she finished and making a slight pained noise with her hand on her forehead.

"You should drink that a little slower. Then you won't get brain freeze." Wednesday commented as she took a slice of pizza.

"I do take it slow. I just get brain freeze no matter what." Lisa laughed a bit as she felt the headache going away; getting a slice of pizza and taking a Bite. "Man, this is surprisingly good pizza."

"I bet it's not as good as New York pizza." Parker wagered; even though she never went to New York.

"Is it true that New York has the best pizza in the world?" Carrie asked in genuine curiosity.

"No, Italy has the world's best pizza." Sherrie corrected her sister before finishing her slice.

"Okay. I meant best in the country."

Lisa took a second to think before responding.

"Well I gotta say New York pizza is pretty great. But don't say that to any one from Chicago." Lisa warned before explaining. "Apparently, there's some kind of debate about which is better. But they're just pizza done in different ways."

"You mean like how New York pizza is thin and easy to eat with one hand while Chicago pizza is big and needs to be eaten with knives and forks?" Parker asked; knowing what Lisa was talking.

Lisa pointed at Parker with a smile.

"Yes! That is quite right. They're both good in their ways. Like this Pizza right here." Lisa summed it up before eating the slice she had.

Wednesday watched as Lisa took enjoyment from the Italian meal. While she was watching, she took notice of the ring on Lisa's left hand. See knew it was there since she met Lisa; though she did not really take much notice of it until now. From where Wednesday could see, it looked quite expensive with the tiny ruby stone that was encrusted in it.

"May I ask you a question, Lisa?" The child asked before taking a small bite of her pizza slice.

"Sure, Wednesday." Lisa answered back as she took a sip of her shake.

"Where did you get that ring?"

Lisa stopped drinking when Wednesday asked her question. Lisa turned her heard as the girls started paying attention when they were eating.

"Come again?" Lisa asked Wednesday to repeat her question.

"That gold on her left hand. Where did you get it?" Wednesday asked again with an unemotional tone.

"Hey, I never noticed that before." Carrie said as she looked at Lisa's ring.

"It's pretty." Sherrie added as she also looked.

Parker just stayed quiet as Lisa looked down at the ring; almost looking uncomfortable before looking up and answering.

"I can't really remember." Lisa answered with an indifferent shrug. "I've just had it for a while. I'm actually thinking of getting a new one and replacing it."

The twins looked at each other in confusion while Parker decided to ask.

"So, you're planning on selling that one or something?" The goth punk asked with an assumption.

Lisa tried pulling the ring off her finger. But she made a struggling grunt and gave up after a couple of tries.

"I might get one that's not so tight when I do." She answered Parkers' question with what she thought she would do.

Wednesday blinked with a suspicious raised brow. She was about to ask something else.

"Stupid bird!"

But the sound of her brothers voice made her turn around to see him coming towards the group with his hands in his pockets with an angry and defeated look on his face.

"Lose your argument with professor know-it-all, Pugs?" Parker asked as the boy approached the table.

"That parrot is a total jerk!" Pugsley crossed his arms bitterly. "I said to him that it's not enough to just want a cracker; he has to earn it! But he just squawked 'Well, you're a pig nosed shorty' right into my face! Nothing will fix the disaster of an afternoon I've had. Nothing!"

Pugsleys sour sneer quickly turned into a grin of interest as he spotted the half-eaten pizza on the table.

"Hey, can I have a slice?" The Moody boy asked.

"Knock yourself out." Lisa insisted.

"He'll do that when we get home." Wednesday added; making Lisa give her a weirded-out stare.

Pugsley took a slice of pizza and sat next to Wednesday as he ate it. Parker looked at the time on her phone and shook her head.

"We've still got an hour and twenty minutes before Thing picks us up. Any ideas on how we're gonna kill time?"

"We could go see a movie." Sherrie suggested.

"Nah; not enough time." Carrie said a movie would be too long.

"Lisa might want to do something." Parker out; making Lisa look up.

Everyone looked at the young lady; waiting for to say something. Lisa took a few seconds to think before remembering something else she might want to do before the hour was up.

"Well, I think I'd like to get a new sketchbook and maybe some markers and pencils to go with it." Lisa recalled her sketchbook only having a few blank pages left.

"There's an art store right below us on the fourth floor." Carrie said with an eager smile on her face.

"We can go there." Sherrie had the same smile on her face.

Parker and Wednesday watched as Lisa took a moment to think again before coming up with something else.

"Is there a body shop here?" She asked with a growing smile on her face.

Pugsley looked up with a raised eyebrow while the girls told Lisa there was a body shop here in the mall. But all Pugsley thought was that they were talking about a place where they sold body parts. Though he just shrugged it off as he took another slice of pizza.

"Alright, that's do that." Parker shrugged indifferently. "We'll finish the rest of the pizza and-"

Parker stopped talking when she noticed the plate was empty. Everyone turned to Pugsley as he wiped his mouth with his arm; a satisfied smile on his face. He noticed everyone was looking at him; his smile being replaced with a confused look.

"What? Arguing works up an appetite." Pugsley spoke in his defence.

Wednesday rolled her eyes the other way while everyone gathered their things to leave the food court.

"I guess we can go now." Parker said as she stood up with everyone following suit; making Lisa quickly finish her chocolate shake with an unavoidable brain freeze.

* * *

Lisa had a satisfied grin on her face as she looked at all the things she got from the art store and body shop. A new sketchbook with large packs of markers and coloured pencils to go with it from the art store. At the body shop, she went wild. She ended up getting Strawberry shampoo and conditioner, strawberry soap, strawberry shower gel and strawberry and vanilla bath bombs. But Pugsley came up to her with a rather confused look on his face.

"So tell me if I'm wrong. The body shop is soap and shower place, and not a place where they sell body parts?" Pugsley asked, almost sounding disappointed at the fact that the body shop was not a body part shop.

"No. I actually thought that I few years ago too." Lisa responded to the boys question.

"What about those bombs you brought? Do they explode when you put them in water?"

Lisa raised a brow at the sinister smile forming on Pugsleys face. But she shook her head before explaining.

"Bath bombs don't really explode. They just change the colour of the bath water and make you small nice."

Pugsley stopped smiling and raised his arms with a confused grimace.

"Why call it a bomb then if it doesn't actually explode!?" Pugsley questioned the falseness of the name.

Lisa could not figure out how to answer Pugsleys' question. All she could do was laugh a little. Parker and Wednesday watched from the corner of the undercover pick up area while Carrie and Sherrie looked at the makeup Lisa brought for them at Mad Rockers. Parker noticed that Wednesday looked rather deep in thought. She also noticed that the child in black was also looking right at Lisa, or rather the ring on her finger.

"You alright, Wednesday?" The goth punk asked casually.

"That ring she has on looks way too tight." Wednesday pointed out. "She tried taking it off, but she struggled with it."

"So? She probably just wore it for a few years and grew too big for it." Parker reasoned before realising something. "She's pretty skinny though. It shouldn't be too hard getting a tight ring off with soap and water."

Wednesday wanted to speculate further; thinking there was more to it them then what Lisa told them. But the group heard the sound of a car horn coming towards them and saw a strong set of headlights coming their way. The Addamss' family car stopped in front of them; splashing a puddle of water in the gutter. The window came down to reveal Thing waving at them and gesturing them to get in and out of the rain. Wednesday decided to put aside the thought of Lisa's ill-fitting ring as everyone got in the car; telling Thing to drop off the twins at their home first. But the thought remained in the back of her mind.


	11. Art block

Lisa squinted her eyes at her painting of Lenore as she put on the finishing touches. Just adding a small amount of lighting to the woman's face, and she was done. Lisa sat up and smiled as she admired her handy work. After five days of work sketching and painting, it was done. The portrait was an image of a beautiful pale woman with raven black hair going down to her elbows against a dark red backdrop. Her eyes were closed like she was asleep and she had a Mona Lisa smile on her face. She was dressed in a long-sleeved dark navy dress seen from the waist down with a flower crown of blood red roses on top of her head; her hands folded over her lap.

Lisa thought it was probably the best work she's done; so far at least. But she wanted to know what Wednesday and her friends thought of it. She would just have to wait until school was over for the day to show them. For now, she had to let it dry, clean up and give Morticia back her paints and brushes. Lisa gathered up all the painting things and made her way downstairs.

"Morticia? Are you down here?" Lisa called out in the living room.

"I'm in here, Lisa."

Lisa looked in the direction where she heard Morticias voice coming from. She made her way out of the living and into a greenhouse of sorts. Lisa blinked as she looked at different kinds of plants around the room; most of them a bit dangerous looking with flytrap mouths and very long and thorny vines. She calmed down a bit when she spotted Morticia feeding one of them with something that looked like meatballs; quickly getting noticed as Morticia turned around.

"Have you finished painting for today, Lisa?" The woman in black asked as she went back to feeding the plant.

"Better. I've finished it for good." Lisa said with a proud grin in her face. "I'm just letting it dry and I'll show it to the girls when they get back from school. And I'm done with your paints. Thanks for letting me borrow them."

"That's wonderful to hear, dear. Don't worry about cleaning up. Just put them on that little table over there and I'll take care of it after I finish tending to my plants." Morticia told Lisa before feeding the monster plant some more meatballs.

Lisa did as Morticia instructed and put the brushes and paints on a nearby table. She already cleaned the brushes and put the lids back on so the paint would not dry out. Artists had to respect each other's equipment and treat it like it was their own. Morticia was about to give the plant one last meatball. But she stopped when she noticed something a bit odd in the air. A strange yet pleasant scent lingered in the room. But she could not put her finger on it.

"That's odd. It smells like strawberries all of a sudden." Morticia told Lisa with a slightly puzzled tone.

Lisa was not sure what Morticia was getting at first. But she quickly realized and remembered.

"It's probably just me, Morticia. I took a shower early this morning and washed my hair before breakfast with some shampoo and conditioner I got from the mall the other day." Lisa explained with a short laugh.

Morticia nodded when she remembered hearing the shower going this morning.

"Yes. And you're wearing a different set of earrings as well." Morticia pointed to the lightning bolt studs Lisa had on. "I'm glad you had a lovely afternoon with the children. You must have started getting tired of being indoors for too long."

Lisa Nodded in agreement as she recalled the outing with the kids from four days ago.

"Yeah. I was starting to get a little bored with the rain making it hard to go anywhere." She said as she rubbed the back of her neck.

The little smile on Morticias' pale face slowly disappeared as she looked outside; watching as the clouds slowly drifted away to show patches of blue sky. Soon they would be gone and make way for the burning bright sun. Lisa noticed Morticias' slight change in expression and blinked curiously.

"You alright, Morticia?" She asked with a mildly concerned tone.

"Oh I'm fine, dear." Morticia reassured before explaining. "I was just thinking about how the rain will stop soon. I suppose that means you'll be on your way."

Lisa blinked as Morticia said that rather strange thing.

"Come Again?" Lisa asked Morticia to repeat or explain.

"Don't you remember? You said were only staying with us for longer then you planned. Gomez and I assumed you were staying for the lovely storms." Morticia reminded her guest about what she said last week. "It's going to be a shame to see you go. Everyone has gotten used to having you here."

Lisa realised that Morticia was being very sincere. And she recalled her saying that she was only staying while the weather was like that when she got here. Hearing that made Lisa think about it. The Addamses were being nothing but kind to her by offering her shelter here. She did not want to out stay her welcome. But the thought of going back to New York and Jasper finding her gave her the shivers. Lisa looked up as she thought of something to say.

"Actually, Morticia; if it's okay with you and your husband... I was hoping I could stay a little longer." Lisa responded nervously as she rubbed her arm.

Morticia quickly gave Lisa her full attention as she spoke; her usually calm eyes widening only slightly.

"You are?" Mrs Addams asked with more delight then she intended.

Lisa took a moment to think before she explained why she thought about staying longer.

"Well, it's mostly because I'm not sure where I would go if I did leave. And I don't want to miss that drama thing Wednesday and her friends are doing. I did help with it a little after all." Lisa explained in full.

Lisa noticed that Morticia was giving her an almost unnoticeable smile when she gently took her hand and held it.

"You can stay as long as you need to, Lisa dear. It's really a pleasure having you here with us." Morticia reassured the young lady.

Lisa blinked as her cheeks turned into a faint shade of pink.

"That's very nice of you to say." She replied with a little grateful smile.

"I won't tell if you don't." Morticia said with a disappearing smile. "So, what are going to do for the rest of day now that you've finished the portrait?"

Lisa blinked as she looked down and put her hand to her chin in thought. She did not really have a lot to do. She could fill up the remaining pages in her sketchbook and start on the new one. She even had coloured markers and pencils to use now. Maybe she could play a game on her phone. But she would end up wasting the battery and have to ask Fester charge it again; which she really did not want to do nytime soon. She shrugged as she looked back up to Morticia.

"Maybe I'll work on some of my own stuff and fill up my old sketchbook." Lisa said with a little smile. "Feel like I should keep the art ball rolling a little longer, ya know."

"Well said, dear. Can't let that creative energy go to waste." Morticia encouraged as she picked up the empty tray to take it back to the kitchen for Lurch to wash later.

Lisa watched briefly as Morticia left the greenhouse; smiling as she made her way out with a quick step. But she stopped and looked down to see a vine stretched across the door way. Lisa shook her head as she lifted up her leg and took a big step over it. She looked back with a playful grin at the vicious looking plant life.

"Nice try." She teased before making her way back to her room; not hearing the plants growling in annoyance.

Lisa kept her smile on as she opened the door to the guest room; grabbing her pencil case and sketchbook before jumping front first onto the bed. She sat up and placed a pillow over her lap; positioning her sketchbook on top of it. She took the pencil out of the spine and clicked the eraser end to push out the right amount of lead. Lisa looked down as she opened up on a blank page; ready to bring out the artistic vision in her head onto paper.

...

But she just stared at the page with her pencil sitting in her hand. Her smile slowly turned into a confused frown as she tried to think of something to draw. But nothing was coming up.

"Oh, no..." She muttered with her face in her hands as she still thought of nothing.

Lisa was having something she hated more than brain freeze.

Artist block.

She let out a frustrated groan as she fell backwards on the bed. She looked up at the ceiling as her mind drew a blank; void of any ideas. She wanted to create something so badly; but nothing was coming to her. Lisa took a deep breath as she sat back up; telling herself to keep calm and relax. She was not going to get anywhere if she stressed herself out for no reason. She leaned forward and scratched her head.

All the times when Lisa did any drawing here, it was always in the guestroom. Maybe she needed a change in her surroundings. With that idea, she moved the pillow off her lap and picked up her drawing things with her sketchbook; getting up off the bed and leaving the guestroom. Lisa looked around as she made her way downstairs; hoping one of the odd and peculiar things in the living room might give her an idea. But she just let out a frustrated sigh as she sat down on the couch. Nothing was coming to her. The weird antlered moose was doing nothing for her. The painting with the giraffe in a suit was not sparking any inspiration. Lisa just leaned against the arm of couch as nothing in the room gave her an idea. The displeased look on her face softened when she took notice of the noose hanging in the corner. Lisa blinked as she recalled her incident with Cleopatra last week and how Lurch came to her aid after she tugged on the rope a few times and accidently summoned him for assistance. Cleopatra was pulling her like a toy, so she did not really have a choice.

But looking at the noose made her think of something odd. Maybe Lisa needed do something a little to what she usually did. Maybe instead of doing something cartoonish, she could try something a bit more realistic.

Lisa got up from couch as she put her things aside for the moment. She put her way to the noose and looked around; wandering if the butler was actually around to hear the loud gong. Reaching up with a struggle and a stretch, Lisa grabbed the noose and pulled it down; setting off the loud house shaking sound of a gong. Lisa just stood there for a moment and waited for Lurch to come in through the kitchen or the greenhouse.

"You rang?..."

Lisa jumped with a light squeak as she heard the deep voice behind her; quickly turning around to see Lurch standing right behind her. Lisa caught her breath as she recovered from her minor scare. Lurch just stared and blinked as she looked up at him.

"You're pretty fast and quiet for a big guy." Lisa commented as she straightened herself out.

Lurch just replied with a low groan and nothing else. Lisa stared at him briefly before nodding slowly.

"Okay then. So, Lurch; are you busy by any chance?" She asked the butler if he was doing anything important at the moment.

Lurch just shook his head with a low groan. A mildly delighted smile appeared on Lisa's face.

"Oh great! Cause I was actually hoping you could help me out with something." She said with a nervous looking grin. "I'm having a bit of art block and I think maybe I need to try something different. Like, maybe a slightly more realistic piece."

Lurch blinked tiredly before Lisa finally asked her request.

"So, if you don't mind, or don't think it's too weird." Lisa stalled before actually asking. "Could I draw a sketch of you?"

Lurch took a moment to process what Lisa just asked before his eyes widen slightly. The butler slowly pointed at himself in question.

"Me?..." He questioned quietly.

"Yeah; like you just sit still on a chair and I'll draw you." Lisa explained before asking again. "Is that okay with you?"

Lurch was not sure how to respond. He tried shrugging to let Lisa know how he felt about it. But Lisa mistook it for a nod.

"Oh, thank you. Just hang on a minute while I set up." She instructed with an eager grin before running off down to the basement.

Lurch wanted to stop and correct her; but Lisa was gone in a flash before he could say anything. Lurch just stood there in uncomfortable confusion until she came back with a stool for him to pose on. He almost flinched when she came up to him and grabbed him by his arms.

"Now you just sit here and I'll figure out what angle works best for you." Lisa said as she led Lurch to the stool and made him sit down.

Lurch just sat still and watched as Lisa sat and balanced herself on the arm of the couch as she picked her sketchbook and turned to the last blank page. She took her pencil and looked up at Lurch as she positioned her it over the paper. But she stopped and raised a brow at the butler.

"You don't have to be all stiff like that." She commented on the butlers' hunched-over position. "just Loosen up a little and get comfortable."

Lurch blinked as he looked down at the floor nervously. But he took a quiet breath as sat up a little straighter and placed his hands above his lap; looking less nervous and stiff, but only slightly more relaxed. Lisa squinted slightly as she shook her a little.

"Could you turn to your left a little? I want to get a good look at your heterochromia." She asked him to turn slightly.

Lurch just responded with a confused sounding groan at the last word as he tilted his head slightly. Lisa quickly realized what she just said before explaining what she meant.

"That pretty yellow eye you've got; I want a got look at it while I draw you." She explained as she readied her pencil.

Lurch quickly nodded as he understood; adjusting himself so he was sitting at a slight angle and so Lisa could see his discoloured eye from where she was sitting; smiling when she looked up at him.

"Prefect. Don't move another muscle." Lisa said as she starting sketching.

Lurch stayed still like a statue as he heard the lead of Lisa's mechanical pencil touching the paper of her sketchbook; looking up at him every couple of seconds before looking back at the work in progress. After a few minutes of silence, Lisa thought it would be a good idea to talk to her subject while she worked.

"So, Lurch. You do anything fun?" She asked as she started sketching his head and shoulders. "Like, do you play sports on weekends or are you writing a novel in your spare time?"

Lurch took a moment and thought of how to respond to the question. He just came up with something simple.

"I, like reading..." the butler spoke slowly as he stayed still.

Lisa nodded as she continued sketching.

"I noticed you have a pair of reading glasses. I don't. I have twenty-four seven glasses." She replied with a quiet laugh at her own joke. "Have you read anything good lately?"

Lurch quickly nodded once before answering.

"Finished Good Omens recently." The butler said with a deep tone of voice.

Lisa looked up with a smile on her face.

"I love that one! I had a copy of it a few years back. But I lent it to one of my friends and never saw it again." Lisa replied with a short story.

Lurch groaned quietly as his eyes rolled the other way. That's why he never let anyone borrow his books. He listened as Lisa got back to sketching and continued sitting still. He listened as Lisa continued speaking to him while she worked.

"Do you go out often?" She asked him as she looked up to him.

"Not, really..." Lurch answered blankly.

Lisa nodded as she continued sketching before she replied.

"Not much of a people person, huh?" She asked.

Lurch just replied with an irritated sounding groan at the thought of interacting with people against his will. Mostly because of how they acted and behaved around him; either staring or running away screaming.

"I'll take that as a no then." Lisa said as she looked back down and started adding detail to the sketch. "I'm not really big on crowds. I can't really go somewhere crowded without someone I trust. Like having them there for moral support and safety stuff like that. Ya know what I mean?"

Lurch only nodded slowly in understanding. It was nice to have someone to rely on when you needed it. The butler found it nice that Lisa was asking questions about him and wanted to get to know him better. Maybe he should have a turn and ask her something.

"What, do you, like?..."

Lisa looked up from the page as she heard Lurch ask her a question.

"What do I like?" She repeated the question.

Lurch nodded slightly in response. Lisa took a moment to think of how to answer.

"Well, I like drawing and singing. Sometimes. But you probably already knew that." She answered with a slight shrug before continuing. "I'm really into movies as well. The last one I saw was the one about a super-fast turquoise coloured marsupial."

Lurch listened for the next few minutes as Lisa continued to talk while working on the art piece. Lurch found it intriguing how quiet she was when she first came here. Now she was chatting up a storm for him to listen to. Lurch did not really mind it; he liked the sound of her voice. He thought it was nice that she was being a bit more open than she was before.

But it did make him wander why she was so quiet and reserved at first. Maybe it was just because she was in a place she did not recognize and had trouble getting used to at first. But thinking about that brought up the thought of that bruise Lisa had on her arm last week. What if something happened before she came here? She said she was just traveling when she stumbled into the yard; but it was quite concerning.

"I'm done."

Lurch immediately lost his train of thought when Lisa announced she completed the art work. He noticed she looked up at him with a pleased grin.

"You can move now." She told the butler as she stood up off the couch.

With that said, Lurch took the opportunity and stood up. Lisa flinched as Lurch moved his neck and arms to stretch while a rather uncomfortable cracking sound could be heard before he went back to his usually hunched over stature. Lisa quickly put it aside and walked up to him.

"Just letting you know; I'm used to doing more stylised things." She warned the butler as she stood beside him. "But I think I've gotten most of your features down."

Lurch watched as Lisa adjusted her sketchbook and turned it around so he could see his portrait. He blinked as he got a proper look at it; finding himself looking at a slightly messy yet decent sketch of himself from the waist up on stool. The butler tilted his head a little to the left as he looked at the mirror image on paper; listening to Lisa as she started talking again.

"Sorry if I made you look weird." Lisa apologized as Lurch continued to look. "I've only done this type of art once and I'm not really good at it."

Lurch blinked in confusion as Lisa under sold herself like that. From what he could see, Lisa was a good artist. Lurch was not much of an art expert; but he thought the portrait was lovely. The sketching was a little messy and probably needed a little polishing with details. But he thought it was lovely; and Lurch never thought of himself as lovely. At least not in the traditional way.

"I, like it..." Lurch said as sincerely as he could.

Lisa looked up at him with a raised brow; unsure if he really meant what he said.

"You actually like it?" She asked with her brow still raised.

Lisa blinked in mild surprise when Lurch gave her a rather quick nod. She looked at the floor with a rather puzzled look on her face.

"Well, you're easy to please. The last guy I did this for said I should stick to my day job." She said as she held it up and looked at it with an uncertain frown. "Unfortunately, I can see what he meant."

Lurch blinked in confusion as Lisa put herself down. He looked at the picture again and looked back forth between it and her. It was a bit messy, but it was almost on par with Mrs Addams and her artworks. Lisa probably did not want to be compared with someone else. So Lurch decided to say something simple yet uplifting.

"You, have room to improve..." Lurch said in a deep reserved tone of voice as Lisa looked up at him.

Lisa blinked as she looked back down in thought while Lurch watched her ponder his words. After a few seconds, Lisa cheered up a little with a small smile.

"Yeah, you're right. I've been doing my own style for years since middle school and I'm good at that." She said in a slightly more cheerful tone as she looked back up at Lurch. "Practicing a different style wouldn't hurt. It might actually be good for me in the long run."

Lurch was about to nod in agreement when Lisa wrapped her arms around him; making him freeze like a statue. Lurch slowly looked down as Lisa only got her arms around the front of him; only standing just below his chest while the scent of strawberries found its way up his nose. The butler stayed completely still until Lisa let go of him and looked up.

"I'm glad you like it. But if you don't mind, I was hoping I could hang onto it." Lisa began to explain rather shyly. "Just so I can fix it up a bit. And I can do a digital version of it when I go home. I can mail it to you when I finish it. Is that okay with you?"

Lisa did not notice Lurch had his slightly wide eyes on as he stared at her. But he responded with a slow nod; letting Lisa hang onto the sketch.

"You're the tops, Lurch. Thanks for doing this." Lisa gave the butler a grateful smile as she turned towards the stairs. "You make a great subject."

Lurch watched as Lisa ran up the stairs and turned the corner to her room. When she was gone, Lurch slowly looked away with one hand gripping his chest as he hunched over slightly. He groaned as he placed his other hand on his face as he felt insides turning cold and his face going red and hot. These strange feelings made him think something was wrong with him.

Lurch tried to calm down by taking a deep breath and straightening himself out; pushing these odd feelings away.

"I'm fine..." He thought to himself as he went off to do some chores; hopefully getting his mind off Lisa.

* * *

**AN: If this chapter seems like it took forever, It's because I've been busy with job searching.**


	12. Nevermore

**AN: Bimby and Tama are unused characters that were in the art of book for the 2019 movie.**

* * *

The next few days went by quickly up until Thursday when the girls were having their drama performance that evening at the school. They were already there along with Thing to do some last-minute rehearsal before they had to do the real show in front of their families and other students.

Lisa looked into the mirror in her bedroom as she cleaned her glasses and combed her hair; almost ready to head off with the Addamses to watch the drama club show case at the school. She smiled as she gave her reflection a thumbs up; telling herself she looked just right.

"Ms Lisa! You are ready?!"

Lisa head Gomez calling from the stairway outside. Guess everyone was ready to leave.

"Coming!" she called back as she quickly grabbed her phone and put it in the pocket of her jeans.

Lisa quickly ran out of the room and zoomed down the stairs to join the family; all of them ready to leave for the evening. When everyone was outside, Lurch started the car and Gomez said one more goodbye to Kitty before the front door practically locked itself. When everyone was in the family car, Lurch immediately took off; the front gate letting them out and closing itself straight after.

"Oh, I just can't wait to see Wednesday and her friends little production." Morticia spoke in quiet excitement before turning towards Lisa. "The Raven is her favourite Poe story."

"Yeah. She said she knows the whole thing off by heart." Lisa recalled Wednesday saying so.

"I still think they should've done the tell-tale heart. That one's a lot more suspenseful then a bird that won't shut up." Uncle Fester gave out his two cents.

"Yeah. They could use buckets of blood for the heart." Pugsley said with a mischievous grin.

Lisa blinked as she looked out the window of the backseat; trying to scoot away from Pugsley and his evil grin.

"Well, I'm looking forward to what the girls have to show tonight." Gomez said with a smile before it quickly turned into a look of thought. "It does make me wonder what the other children are doing though."

Grandmama made a noise of disgust at the thought of what those other children thought passed as entertainment.

"From what Wednesday said this morning, those kids have no idea what good entrainment is." The old witch spoke in an unimpressed tone before starting a mini rant. "When I was just a child, the best show my father took me too was a public execution. It also taught me how gravity works.

Lisa just stayed silent as she stared at the woman while the rest of the Addamses laughed. Lurch just kept his eyes on the road.

"Was it a hanging or guillotine execution?" Lisa asked out of morbid curiosity.

"Both. They hung the man five times and then they put him under the blade to finish the job." Grandmama spoke with a reminiscent smile on her face. "Now that was entertainment. Always got everyone's attention."

Lisa blinked with an uncertain nod as she wondered how old Grandma Addams actually was to remember hanging and guillotine executions. But she almost jumped when she realised her phone might still have the sound on. The young quickly dug into her pocket and took out the device; intending to put it on silent for the show.

But a look of blank worry appeared on her face when she remembered her blocked notifications. She slowly put her phone down as she remembered how distraught her mother was in that voice message she left last week. Lisa wanted to think that message she left might have calmed her down. But what if it did more harm than good and she was more worried about her daughter more than ever. Morticia turned her head to look at everyone in the back seat when she noticed Lisa's worried expression.

"Lisa? Are you alright?" Mrs Addams asked in slight concern.

Lisa looked up at the mention of her name before realising what Morticia just asked her.

"Oh I'm okay, Morticia." Lisa quickly reassured the woman as she adjusted her phone without looking. "Just turning the sound off on my phone. Don't want it to go off during the show, right?"

Morticia nodded in agreement before turning back to the front. Lisa quickly put her phone back into her pocket; thinking her phone was on silent. But she did not realise that she turned calls back on without looking.

Lisa crawled out of her seat of the car as she looked at the school Wednesday and her friends went to. It looked like any other school she had seen in her lifetime; Though she noticed Morticia and Gomez seemed a bit unnerved as they looked at it and all the people going inside.

"I just can't get my head around why they painted the banner with such a headache inducing colour." Morticia pointed at the banner hanging over the front entrance to the school.

Lisa blinked in confusion before she spotted the banner in question; seeing a Fluro yellow sign hanging over the doors with the words 'drama club showcases tonight' in bright orange lettering. Lisa could see very clearly why Morticia thought it was headache inducing. She had to turn away after looking at it for a few seconds.

"Least it's not pink." Gomez said with a shrug.

Before Mr Addams could even say another word, a woman quickly grabbed his arm from behind and twisted it behind him. Gomez barely had any time to react before he was flipped over onto his back on the grass. Lisa gasped in shock while everyone else smiled at the sight.

"Surprised to see you here, Ophelia." Gomez with a rather delighted smile despite his now sore head.

Lisa blinked in confusion before she got a better look at the woman that judo flipped Gomez. She was a rather pale lady with long straight blond hair with what looked like a ring of daisies on top of her head with a pair of eyes that could see into a person's soul if they stared. She wore a dark sepia tone coloured dress going down below her knees with black shoes that almost looked like ballerina slippers. Lisa continued to stare while Morticia and the rest of the family looked glad to see her.

"Ophelia, darling!" Morticia greeted the woman as she walked up and hugged her.

"Oh, it's been too long, Morticia!" Ophelia responded as she tightly hugged back. "Three weeks feels like an eternity!"

Everyone else seemed delighted to see this Ophelia lady. But Lisa just grew more confused by the second.

"Um... Hello?" The young lady greeted rather awkwardly.

Morticia and Ophelia looked up at Lisa before gently breaking away from each other.

"Lisa; This is my sister, Ophelia Frump." Mrs Addams introduced the young Lady to the flower headed individual.

Lisa watched as Ophelia stood in front of her and greeted her with a nod and curtsy.

"Delighted to meet you at last, Miss." The rather odd woman greeted kindly before standing up straight. "Morticia told me about you over the phone just the other night. You're just like she said you were."

Lisa listened to what Ophelia said to her as she observed the woman. She did not see much resemblance to Morticia straight away. Her facial features were slightly soft, roundish and bright compared to Morticias' sharpness and darkness. But she definitely had that charm that made her seem like Addams material; especially with that flower crown on her head.

"Nice to meet you too." Lisa greeted back.

"What brings you here, Ophelia?" Fester asked out of curiosity.

"Well, I was just looking after Uncle Floyd and Aunt Loris' children for the day while their parents are having a couples day and romantic dinner at the swamp just outside of town. They wanted to come and see Wednesday performing, so I decided to bring them here." Ophelia explained before looking around for said twins. "Where did those two get off to?"

Before anyone could say another word, Lisa felt someone little gently tugging her shirt. Lisa quickly looked down; thinking a child came up to her and wanted to ask her something or say hello. But her eyes widened when saw said child. Or to put it accurately, children.

Lisa found herself looking at a pair of children that were joined down the middle; looking completely different despite being stuck together. They were dressed in what like an old dark blue children's school uniform that almost looked crudely sawn together down the middle with differently styled sleeves on each side. The head on the left was a little girl with a short dark brunette bob cut and a big bow shaped like a cute vampire bat on top of her head, a nervous looking smile and a big set of eyes on her face with light freckles on her cheeks. The head on the right was a little boy with short, curly, dirty blond hair. His eyes were tired and sleepy looking while he smiled with a rather wide mouth. Lisa found herself lost for words even when Ophelia came up and hugged them.

"There you two are!" She greeted and hugged the conjoined children before looking back at Lisa. "These are Floyd and Loris' kids; Bimby and Tama."

Lisa watched as the conjoined twins came up to her; holding their hands to her with big smiles on their faces.

"It's lovely to meet you, Miss." The girl head greeted politely. "I'm Tama."

"I'm her brother, Bimby. We're twins." The boy head added with a wide smile.

Lisa nodded as she took the twins hands to shake and smiled back.

"You're really twins? I couldn't tell." She jokingly said to humour them.

Tama and Bimby both giggled in response as they let go of Lisa. Morticia looked up as one of teachers came out and called out to everyone who was still outside; getting ready to shut the doors for the performances.

"We should get inside, dear. They're going to start the show case soon." Morticia pointed out to her husband with mild urgency.

"Oh, yes; absolutely." Gomez quickly replied before turning to the rest of the family. "Make haste, everyone!"

Everyone quickly made their way towards the doors while Lisa quickly followed closely behind; hearing Pugsley ask uncle Fester if he brought the popcorn in his coat and hearing Pugsley saying he brought a video camera to record the show. But Lisa stopped halfway when she suddenly felt a vibration in the pocket of her pants.

Lisa looked down with wide eyes; realising it was her phone that was vibrating. That cannot be right. She knew she turned off all calls. Lisa quickly dug into her pocket and took out her phone to see who was calling. She gasped as she saw the word 'mom' on the screen with the options to answer or ignore. Panicking internally, Lisa quickly hit the ignore button; silencing the vibration and telling her the call was dismissed.

"Are you coming, Miss?"

Lisa looked down to see Tama and Bimby looking up at her with their heads tilted to the right. Lisa calmed down as she put her phone away and walked with them to the school.

"Yeah. Just got a little distracted." She reassured as she grabbed Bimbys' hand.

The twins giggled as they lead Lisa into the school; making her wander if they had to take turns walking or if they each controlled one like they seemed to do with their arms.

Lisa eventually put it aside as the family found their seats in the auditorium amongst all the other kids parents and family; getting settled in for the showcase to start. Lisa was sitting on the end of the aisle with Ophelia on her right and the walkway on her left. Ophelia was seated between Ophelia Bimby and Tama, and Lurch; looking up at the butler as he just watched the stage with crossed arms. Lisa turned her head towards the stage as a middle-aged man in a dark green suit, thick square glasses and a comb over on his head walked on with a microphone in his hand; clearing his throat before speaking into it.

"Good evening, ladies and germs." The man greeted with a rather outdated joke and a smile; getting a laugh out of a few people in the audience. "I hope you're all ready for an evening with our very talented drama club, cause they're pretty excited to show you their work."

Lisa watched as the man on stage continued to talk before she leaned to the right towards Morticia and Gomez sitting between Lurch and Pugsley while Fester and Grandmama sat next to each other as Fester waved to some blond haired woman in the audience.

"Who's that?" She quietly asked who the man on stage was; getting the couple's attention.

"That's principle Lloyd." Morticia explained. "He's quite a lovely man."

"Kitty took quite a liking to him when Wednesday took him to school for a presentation on African wildlife one time." Gomez almost laughed as he remembered that incident.

Lisa wondered how that day actually went; thinking animal control would've gotten involved somehow. Before she could ask something else, her phone went off again. Lisa looked down at her pocket with nervous grimace; trying to ignore it as she tried listening to the principle announcing who was on first. But her head was filing up with bad thoughts. Like it could be her mother or her brother trying to call her. Her mother could be crying her eyes out over Lisa's whereabouts and safety. Lisa swore under her breath as she stood up out of her seat.

"I need to use the restroom." Lisa said quite quickly before she ran towards the doors of the auditorium.

Everyone but Grandmama and Fester watched as Lisa ran out the doors; disappearing around a corner. Pugsley shrugged indifferently before saying something.

"Guess if you gotta go, you gotta go." The boy said before snacking on some popcorn.

Everyone else just brushed it off as Grandmama stole a handful of popcorn from Pugsley and principle Lloyd welcomed the first act onto the stage. But Lurch and Ophelia quickly noticed that Lisa had a rather distraught look on her face before she ran out; Both wondering if she was okay as the first act started.

* * *

Lisa caught her breath as she stopped in front of the girls restroom. She quickly dug her phone out of her pocket as it continued to ring and vibrate. Lisa almost stopped breathing when she saw the word 'Mom' on the screen with the answer and ignore buttons. A drop of nervous sweat fell of her forehead as her finger hovered over the ignore button. But Lisa knew she could not keep hiding from her family; knowing they were not the ones who want to hurt her. Thinking she was going to regret it; Lisa quickly moved her finger to the left of the screen and pressed the answer button; stopping the vibration and ringing as she slowly moved her phone to her ear.

"...Hello?..." She answered quietly as she heard shaky breathing on the other end.

"Sweetie, is that you?"

Lisa fell silent as she heard a feminine voice with a Brooklyn accent similar to her own. But her mother's voice was shaky and grief stricken; sounding like she was holding back tears. Lisa wanted to talk to her mother openly. But she needed to be sure of something before she knew she could talk freely.

"Mom? Before you say anything; I need to know." Lisa asked quietly before asking. "Is Jasper there in your apartment?"

Lisa could hear her mother making a slightly confused noise away from the phone; speaking to her again after a couple seconds.

"He's just using the bathroom." Her mother said before she continued with a question. "Do you want to speak with-"

"Don't put him on the phone!"

Lisa pulled herself together as she realised, she just yelled at her mother. She wiped away a small amount of sweat from her forehead as she calmed herself.

"Please don't let him know I'm talking to you right now. Please, move to another room." Lisa asked as her breath started shaking. "I can't let him know where I am."

* * *

Lurch tried to pay attention to the group of students re-enacting the final scene from Shakespeare's Hamlet. But his mind was elsewhere as Lisa continued to be absent. Surely going to the restroom did not take seven minutes. Maybe she was not Feeling well. That might have been why she was taking a while.

Lurch thought that checking if she was okay might be a good idea. She probably did not want to miss Wednesday and her friends doing their performance. The butler quietly excused himself as he moved out of his seat; Moving passed the twins as he did so. He kept himself quiet as he made his way outside the auditorium; listening as the kids on stage finished with goodnight sweet prince as he went through the door.

Lurch had only been inside the school a few times. He only went there to pick her up Wednesday when Thing was too busy to do so and then he would only stop and wait outside. From what he could remember, the restrooms were around the corner on the left. The butler quickly but calmly made his way down there; nearing the corner.

"I'm sorry."

But he stopped when he heard what sounded like Lisa's voice around the corner. She must have finished using the restroom. But something sounded wrong with her voice. Lurch slowly and quietly approached as he listened some more.

"I know I should've called you or Teddy sooner."

Lurch blinked worryingly when he noticed that Lisa sounded upset; like she was holding back tears. The butler quietly stopped at the corner as Lisa continued to speak; realising she must have been talking to someone on the phone.

"I was going to; but I'm afraid Jasper could be listening and figure out where I am." Lisa explained as her voice began to croak.

Lisa could hear her mother making a confused sound on the other line before she asked a question that made Lisa freeze and sweat.

"Lisa, why don't you want him to know where you are? What's wrong?"

Lurch peeked his head around the corner as Lisa had her back turned to him; grabbing her chest as her anxiety reach its peak. She tried so hard to held back her tears. But they fell down her face like waterfalls as she fell to her knees.

"I can't tell you. I want to but to tell, but I can't." She told her mother with a heavy sob.

Lurch blinked worryingly as he listened to Lisa's side of the conversation. What could she not do? What was making her so upset? He just stayed silent as he listened; even though he could not hear who Lisa was talking to.

"You don't have to tell me happened, sweetie." Lisa's mother said with a tone of defeat and worry. "but can't you just tell me where you are? So, I can tell your brother you're safe?"

Lurch could see Lisa shaking on her knees before she slowly went still. He could hear her let out an exhale before she spoke again.

"I'm in a town call Assimilation. That's all I can tell you." Lisa said as she wiped away her tears behind her glasses. "I'm... I'm sorry I made you worry, Mom. I love you."

Lisa could hear her mother sniffling and wiping away her tears before she spoke again.

"I love you too, sweetie. I promise I won't tell Jasper I talked to you." Lisa's mother promised as her voice calmed. "I don't know what he's done to you. But if you can't tell me, you don't have to."

"Thank you. I'll come back when it's safe; I promise." Lisa promised back as she wiped away more tears.

"I'll keep an eye on him for you and I'll tell if it's safe to come back. If I find out what he did to you, I'll stuff a whole steak down his throat and stick a hungry dog up his-!"

"Mom, no; you don't have to do that!" Lisa quickly interrupted her mother; quickly recognising the angry tone in her voice. "Tell Teddy I miss him, okay?"

Lisa thought her mother was going to say something. But she could faintly hear the sound of someone knocking on a door on her side of the phone; making her mother gasp suddenly.

"I love you, sweetie; I'll tell Teddy you're okay!" Lisa's mother whisper-shouted before hanging up.

Lisa slowly took the phone away from her ear and looked at her screen; reading the phrase "call ended". Lurch looked away from her as he tried to process what he heard. Or at least what he thought he heard. Lisa just quietly sighed as she slowly lifted herself off the ground; wondering if her mother was really okay. From the way she said that Jasper was there with her, she had a feeling that he was being two faced with her; being all wonderful and nice to her face but quickly turning into a horrible monster when her and Teddy's backs were turned. Lisa felt like the thought was giving her a mild headache as she turned around to go back to the auditorium with her head down. But she right walked into something that felt like a wall; making an oof sound before she took a step back and looked up. The young lady blinked as she spotted Lurch and his difficult to forget face; quite surprised he was here.

"Oh; it's you." She said in a rather quiet tone.

Lisa was expecting the butler to let out a zombie like groan like he usually responded with when someone talked to him. But strangely, he did not. He did not make a sound. He just stared with a mildly concerned look on his stone face. Lisa quickly realized why he was here. And he probably was not going to the men's room.

"We're you listening to me while I was on the phone?" Lisa asked rather suspiciously and quietly.

Lurch took a step back as his eyes widened slightly; looking away from her as he put his hands behind his back and shook his head no. Lisa tilted her head and crossed her arms in suspicion.

"You don't have to lie to me, Lurch. I can't really get mad about it now." She said with an indifferent shrug; her arms still crossed.

Lurch looked back at her as he glanced at the ground; remembering that even if he did not really talk a lot, he was a pretty bad liar.

"Yes..." He changed his answer with a slow nod.

Lisa stared at him as her expression softened into a slightly worried frown; her arms falling to her side's as she took a step towards him.

"How much of that did you actually hear?" She asked; raising her brow unintentionally.

Lurch looked down at the floor as he tried to think of how to say that did not hear much of it; even though he heard quite a bit. The butler brought his right hand from behind his back and put his index finger and thumb close together but slightly apart; silently saying he only heard a little of Lisa's phone conversation. Lisa's look softened again before she blinked and looked down at the floor with a sigh.

"I guess you probably know I wasn't actually going to the bathroom." Lisa confessed as she played with the ring on her left finger.

Lurch blinked as Lisa began to explain herself.

"It's just... I didn't tell my family that I was leaving New York and they've been trying contact me since I got here. I've been avoiding them because I don't want be found." She explained part of the reason why she was not home. "Things haven't really been good at home for the last couple of years. It doesn't have anything to do with my mom or brother through. It's for a different reason."

Lurch tilted his head to the left slightly as he wondered why Lisa became so quiet. Lisa looked up and quickly saw his confused look.

"Look; I can't really explain it. It's just really upsetting for me." She said as she looked away and rubbed her eyes with her sleeve. "Please understand."

Lurch was not very good with emotions. But he could see that Lisa was quite upset over that phone call with her mother. Lurch thought maybe it had something to do with this Jasper person that she mentioned. Lurch wanted to ask who they were. But he quickly realized that it really was not his business.

But the butler did not like seeing the young lady so sad and upset. It made him think of that time when Wednesday was very little and she read a book about a dragon that was killed by a knight in shining armour. She was so angry and sad over it, that Mr and Mrs Addams decided to rewrite the book with an alternate ending where the dragon threw the knight off a cliff with man eating lions at the bottom. Lurch could not really do something like that in this situation. But he thought of the next best thing.

Lisa made a slightly confused noise as Lurch took a step towards her and looked down at her. Lisa was about to say something; but Lurch quickly grabbed her by the shoulders and pulled her into a tight and secure, yet gentle hug. Lisa just felt her eyes going wide as she felt the butler gently wrap his arms around her with one on hand on her back and the other on her shoulder; even lifting her a couple of inches off the ground. If Lurch was still a stranger to her, she would be horrified and try to push away from him for help. But somehow, she did not feel like she needed to push him away. Somehow, some strange way... She felt safe.

Lisa could feel a welcoming warmth as Lurch held her close to him. Her ear was right under his chest, so she could hear his oddly slow heartbeat. She would have been concerned over why it was slow; but it was probably normal for someone like Lurch.

Lurch looked down as Lisa began to loosen up and relax; wondering if what he was doing was working and helping.

"Feel better?" The butler asked; still holding onto her.

He could only see Lisa's dyed red hair as he looked down at her. But he could see her nodding.

"A little." She answered quietly before she quickly remembered something. "Have Wednesday and girls done their show yet?"

"Uh uh..." Lurch shook his head before he asked her a question. "Do, you want to, go back?..."

Lisa took a moment to think before she made up her mind.

"Yeah; sure." Lisa answered as the butler kept her in his arms.

Lurch nodded as he turned around back into the direction of the auditorium.

"Hey, Lurch?" Lisa asked; making him stop in his tracks.

Lurch looked down at her as he listened to what she had to say.

"You can put me down now." Lisa politely requested the butler to let her go.

Lurch briefly blinked in confusion before he realized he was still holding Lisa; quickly but gently letting her go and putting her back on her feet. Lisa found herself giving the butler a little smile of appreciation while Lurch was looking another way; trying to hide his incoming change of colour.

"Thanks for trying to cheer me up. You're a really sweet guy." Lisa commented as she held the butler's sleeve.

Lurch froze up as Lisa complimented him and held his arm; a rather uncomfortable throbbing feeling emerging in his chest as his face started turning red.

"...We, should go..." He said rather quickly as he started walking towards the auditorium; slightly faster than he usually walked but slow enough for Lisa to keep up.

* * *

"Prophet! Thing of evil! Prophet still!"

Everyone watched with anticipation and Pugsley recorded with his camera as Parker shouted her lines of resentment and denial while pointing a fireplace poker towards Thing in his little raven costume. Parker was dressed in an old looking red robe with old fashioned slippers. The stage was lightly decorated with a large cardboard background of an old library with a drawing of a fireplace on cardboard, a window that Thing went through when he appeared as the raven, an office chair covered in a black sheet so it looked like an old chair, a little shelve for Thing to sit on top of, and the portrait of Lenore that Lisa painted for them. At the back of the stage behind the curtain, Carrie and Sherrie were working behind the scenes; Carrie operating her laptop for the soundtrack while Carrie was guiding Thing with a fishing rod and line. Wednesday was on the far side of the stage with a large book in her grasp as she sat on a wooden stool; narrating in between Parkers lines. Everyone was on the edge of their seats as Parker continued her ill willed speech towards the Raven Thing.

"If bird or devil! By that Heaven that bends above us, by that God we both adore! Tell this soul with sorrow laden if, within the distant Aidenn, it shall clasp a sainted maiden whom the angels name Lenore! Clasp a rare and radiant maiden whom the angels name Lenore."

Wednesday almost did not need to read from the book in her hand; not even looking at its page as she spoke the famous line.

"Quoth the raven, "Nevermore."

The audience watched as Parker let out an angered growl at Thing before she turned into a storm of rage; the soundtrack coming from the speakers intensifying, but not overlapping the voices of the performance.

"Be that word our sign of parting, bird or fiend!" Parker yelled with a shout that echoed across the stage.

"I shrieked, upstarting!" Wednesday narrated in a similar tone.

"Get thee back into the tempest and the Night's Plutonian shore! Leave no black plume as a token of that lie thy soul hath spoken! Leave my loneliness unbroken! Quit the bust above my door! Take thy beak from out my heart, and take thy form from off my door!"

Morticia and Gomez held each other with anticipation as Wednesday again spoke the line. Lisa was on the edge of her seat while Lurch just stared with full focus and interest.

"Quoth the raven, "Nevermore." Wednesday spoke the line with a calm yet sinister tone.

With that as her cue, Parker did what she did with all the reversals the girls had up until now. She swung her iron poker in the air and charged at the raven with a shout of hatred and vengeance. Sherrie quickly reeled Thing in before Parker actually hit him and started running back and forth behind the stage making it look like Thing was flying around while Parker was struggling to attack him. Before it could go for too long, Parker ran towards the chair and jumped past it; making it look like she fell to the floor with the poker going through her chest. Everyone gasped at the teens acting as she pretended to be in near death and pain while Thing climbed back onto the shelve; making Wednesday begin the final narration.

"And the raven, never flitting, still is sitting." Wednesday stood up from her spot as Parker pretended to die from her fake injurie. "Still is sitting on the pallid bust of Pallas just above my chamber door; and his eyes have all the seeming of a demon's that is dreaming."

The audience watched as the light on the stage began to dim down; like how the life of Parkers character was quickly dimming at this very moment as Wednesday continues the final words.

"And the lamp-light o'er him streaming throws his shadow on the floor; and my soul from out that shadow that lies floating on the floor..."

The light continued to dim and darken as Wednesday finishes with the final words; a single spot light on Parker as she pretends to lay lifeless on the floor.

"Shall be lifted... Nevermore."

Wednesday finishes by slamming the book shut; snuffing out the spotlights and leaving the stage in darkness as Parker disappears with it. After a few silent seconds, the audience erupted in cheering and applause at the performance they just witnessed; standing up and clapping as the lights came back on for the group to make their bow. Carrie and Sherrie came around from back stage as Thing climbed down from the shelve. Parker quickly got up from her spot on the floor as Wednesday made her way over from the side of the stage to join them for they bow.

"Bravo, children! Bravo!" Gomez cheered as he stood up out of his seat.

"Absolutely brilliant." Morticia stood up alongside her husband as she cheered.

The whole family stood up as the girls and Thing took a bow. Principal Lloyd came up on stage as he too applauded the group for their little performance while a small group of kids cleaned up the stage for the next group. As the principal gave the group a well-deserved applause for their performance, the Addamses and everyone in the audience sat back on their seats as the cheering quieted down and soon ceased. Lurch almost focused on what the man on the stage was saying. But a tap on his shoulder made him look to his left. The butler looked down and blinked when he saw Lisa looking up and smiling at him; quickly remembering that Bimby and Tama took his seat when he and the young lady came back in.

"That was so awesome!" Lisa whispered with undertones of excitement. "I think that was amazing. What do ya think, Lurch?"

Lurch took a moment to respond before he just nodded with a shrug and turned back. But he noticed rather childish giggling coming from right of him. He looked down at Bimby and Tama as they both covered their mouths; not trying very hard to stop giggling. Lurch just let out a confused grunt before the conjoined siblings smiled at him.

"Is she your girlfriend?" Tama asked with a giggly whisper.

Lurch suddenly felt like his insides had been dipped in ice water when the girl sibling said the word girlfriend. Lurch looked back Lisa briefly; seeing that she was paying attention to the stage and not the conversation next to her. Lurch quickly turned back and shook his head.

"No." He said with a nervous groan.

"Are you sure?" Bimby asked with a curious tone.

"She's really cute. You should ask here out." Tama added her two cents with wide smile.

Lurch was about to say something when Ophelia shushed the twins; telling them the next group was starting their piece.

Lurch wanted to focus on the stage. But his mind was racing with odd thoughts. He looked at Lisa as she watched the next group of students performing a scene from my fair lady; too focused on it to notice Lurch having an internal panic attack. The butler put his hand on his chest as that feeling came back like fleas on a dog. He just stared into space as one thought repeated in his mind.

"What is wrong with me?"

* * *

After that eventful evening, Wednesday said goodbye to her friends; telling them she would see them tomorrow at school. After dinner, everyone decided to call it a night and head off to bed; thinking an eventful evening like that would bring dreams of ravens and ghosts. But two people in the Addams household were having trouble getting to sleep.

Lisa looked up at the ceiling as she laid on her back against the mattress; seeing nothing but darkness as she stared at nothing. Lisa did not have any recent nightmares that were keeping her up. But she had a rather odd thought on her mind. She kept thinking about Lurch.

Lisa turned to her side and reached for lamp on the bedside table; grabbing her glasses after the faint light came on. She sat up as she put them on and her vision became clear. But her thoughts remained foggy and odd as she pondered. She kept repeated what happened at the school in her head. How the butler comforted her when she was upset by her conversation with her mother. Even after she said she felt better, he did not let go. Lisa thought it was strange. But it made her wander if he even wanted to let go when she said he could put her down. Lisa was not sure why. But when that strange stone-faced man comforted and hugged her to make her feel better... She felt something that she had not felt in a long time. She felt safe, and warm...

And loved...

Lisa blinked as that word came into her head. There was no way that could be right. She was utterly terrified of him when she first saw him. Even after a few days she was still scared. But after exchanging a few words and making music for a few minutes, she started warming up to him. She liked him. But she could not really say the other word. Maybe not right now.

Lisa crawled to the side of the bed and bent down to look down under it. She reached in and pulled out her sketchbook and the new markers she brought from the mall the other. Placing her pillow onto her lap, she opened up on the last page she drew on. The little portrait she asked Lurch to model for. Lisa looked at it with a little head tilt. She remembered how Lurch said she had room to improve; making a little smile appear on her face. Still smiling, she reached for her marker and picked out the yellow-orange marker; removing the cap and carefully coloured in the left eye. Lisa looked at portrait fondly before packing it away with one last thought.

"Maybe I should talk to Morticia about it tomorrow." She thought as she took off her glasses and turned the lamp off; going to bed with that idea in mind.

Lurch groaned in frustration as he tossed and turned in his bed; finding it impossible to sleep. The butler was usually a deep sleeper and did not take very long when he did so. But for some reason, he just could not. He was still awake after a whole two hours after going to bed and he could not sleep. He did everything he usually did when he was having a restless night. He tried reading a book, counting sheep, dusting around the house until he felt tired; nothing he did was working. Lurch knew why he could not sleep. It was that feeling he had in his chest; that throbbing feeling he had since this evening when he cheered Lisa up from her sad episode and when the twins asked if she was his girlfriend. Lurch just grabbed his pillow and held it against his face as he tried to think of why he was like this. He felt like two people were pushing on his back and chest at the same time. He almost felt sick.

Maybe he was sick.

Lurch quickly realised that he was burning up off and on the past few days. Maybe he was coming down with a fever. Maybe he needed to see a doctor. But the thought of seeing a doctor made Lurch want to punch a wall. He loathed doctors; especially the ones that worked in asylums and mental hospitals.

But he did think of one person he could talk to.

"Mr Addams." He thought; knowing the man had a knack for solving people's ailments.

Lurch nodded with a grunt. He would go talk to Mr Addams and hopefully fix whatever was making him like this. The butler reached for the bottom of the bed and took out a wooden mallet. The butler grunted as he swung it and smacked himself in the head; knocking himself out cold and snoring soundly a couple of seconds later.

* * *

**AN: Well... This chapter took longer to write then i would have expected. Sorry for being absent for a month. Ive been a bit depressed and paranoid because this whole virus outbreak. But I'm doing okay. I'm not going to stop writing any time soon. **

**Anyways, It seems our favourite butler is having a bit of a hard processing what's going on while Lisa starts to enjoy his company. if you know what i mean. ;) So stay tuned, and stay safe.**


	13. Love Sick

**AN: This chapter is going to go back and forth between two conversations.**

* * *

Lisa peeked out her door as she opened it ever so slightly; looking if anyone was coming into or out into the hallway. When she saw that no one was there, she opened the door a bit wider so she could walk out. She causally made her way to the stairs and walked down to the living area; hoping to find Morticia somewhere so she could talk and get some advice from her.

Meanwhile back upstairs, Lurch slowly emerged from his room and looked around; seeing Lisa disappearing downstairs and out of his field of vision. Seeing the coast all clear, the butler made his way out and approached the room at the opposite end from the guestroom; Mr Addams's office. Lurch hesitated to knock on the door as he approached. But he pushed himself to do so; thinking this was the only thing he could do to find out what has been making him feel so strange.

"Come in!" Lurch heard Mr Addams call out from inside.

The butler quietly made his way inside his employers office; gently shutting the door behind him before looking towards the man. Mr Addams had a gleeful grin on his face as he kept a close eye on his model train; bells and whistles going off as he placed a remote in his hand and looked up.

"Lurch, old man; You're just in time for the big finish!" Gomez welcomed the butler as he told him to watch closely. "Hang on to your hat! This one's coming in hot!"

Lurch quickly knew what Mr Addams was going to do with those trains. The butler took a step back as Gomez pressed the big red button on the remote; setting off a reaction that made the tracks change course and collide with each other. The trains crashed into each other with a loud kaboom and a miniature explosion; turning into a flaming pile of a train wreck. Mr Addams smiled and laughed with glee as he set the remote aside.

"Gets better every time." Gomez said with a smile before turning his attention to his loyal butler. "So, what brings you here, Lurch? Have you done all your chores already?"

Lurch just shook his head with no sound; clutching his chest nervously as he did so. The smile on Mr Addams face quickly turned into concern when he noticed something seemed a bit... Off.

"Are you alright, Lurch? You're looking a little red in the face." Gomez Pointed out the Butlers sudden change in colour.

Lurch rolled his eyes the other way as his employer pointed it out. He must look ridiculous.

"Don't feel well..." Lurch got straight to the reason why he was in here; still clutching his chest as he said so.

Gomez crossed his arms as his concern grew.

"You're sick, are you?" Mr Addams repeated before asking Lurch to take a seat on a nearby chair. "Let me get some things and I'll have a look at you."

Lurch did as he was told as Mr Addams went over to a nearby shelve to grab some examination tools. The butler hoped Mr Addams would have some idea of what he was experiencing; hopefully knowing how to make it stop too.

* * *

Lisa carefully made her way into the living room to see Morticia painting on a canvas; having her paints and brushes out. Lisa made her way over before she stopped and cleared her throat. Morticia looked up from her work and gave Lisa a little welcoming smile.

"Lisa; I was wondering where you were today." Morticia spoke as she looked back to her work in progress. "I'm just doing of one of Wednesday and Pugsleys favourite photos. Come have a look."

Lisa blinked as she made her way over to Mrs Addams and had a look at her work. The young lady stared at a half-finished painting of what she assumed was a younger version of Wednesday and Pugsley. Little Wednesday and little Pugsley had black and white party hats on while Wednesday was holding a baseball bat and Pugsley was tied up and hanging upside down from a tree.

"Wow." Lisa could only say that about the painting.

"I know. They always loved playing piñata like when it their birthdays came around." Morticia spoke fondly as she began colouring in a small section.

Lisa nodded before she quickly remembered why she was down in the living room in the first place. She adjusted her hoodie before she spoke again.

"Hey, Morticia? I was actually hoping I could talk to about something that's been on my mind for a while now." Lisa explained as she sat down on the couch nearby.

"Of course, dear. What do you need to talk about?" Morticia asked as she continued working on her piece.

Lisa played with her sleeve she spoke rather shyly.

"Lurch." She said in a slightly quiet tone; loud enough for Morticia to stop what she was doing and look at Lisa properly.

* * *

Lurch watched as Mr Addams brought over a stethoscope, otoscope, Thermometer and a wooden tongue depressor; placing them on the desk next to him.

"Alright, Lurch; let's have a look at you and figure out what's wrong." Gomez said as he grabbed the thermometer. "We'll start with your temperature."

Lurch nodded as he grabbed the thermometer from Mr Addams and placed it in his mouth; sitting back as they waited for a result. Gomez made an intrigued sound as he placed the back of his hand on the butler's forehead; raising a brow in confusion.

"You're awfully warm, Lurch. Did Grandmama make you try her salamander puffs again?" Gomez asked; knowing the butler did not do well with most desserts.

Lurch shook his head no as Gomez noticed the temperature gauge on the thermometer. The eccentric man blinked as he looked at the red line in the glass.

"Well, that's odd." Gomez commented rather bluntly.

Lurch looked at the man with a stare of mild alarm as he took the thermometer out for him to look at. Mr Addams took it off Lurch and examined it further.

"Either this thermometer is broken or you've got a temperature of ninety-eight point six, Lurch." Gomez said with a tone of mild concern.

Lurch let out a surprised grunt before snatching the thermometer to have a look for himself. Ninety-eight point six was not right. Lurch was usually lower than that. A lot lower; usually very cold. Gomez noticed Lurch was clutching his chest again with a rather anxious groan; thinking this might be serious.

"Maybe we should check your heart and see if it's beating slowly like it usually is." Mr Addams suggested as he grabbed his stethoscope and set it up. "Hold your breath."

Lurch did as he was told before Gomez placed the chest piece against his chest; listening for anything odd or strange. Mr Addams stopped on one spot before listening fully and making a quiet sound of great interest.

"That's something I haven't heard in a while." Gomez said as he took the earpieces out and handed them to the larger man.

Lurch just gave Mr Addams a confused look before taking the earpieces and listened to his own heartbeat; thinking he was going to hear a slow rhythm. His eyes went slightly wide when he heard something entirely. Some wild, fast and crazy music.

"I think that's what people call Freeform Jazz!" Gomez called out as Lurch listened to his insane heart rhythm.

Lurch made a noise of disgust as he took the earpieces out and gave the stethoscope back; looking down at the floor with his hands in his hair. Gomez quickly put the equipment down before kneeling down to look at his servant in the eye.

"Lurch, can you tell me when you started getting these strange symptoms? Maybe we can figure out what you're experiencing if you recall." The eccentric man suggested; hoping his friend was not stressed because of this.

Lurch only looked back up slightly as he hesitates to answer; pushing himself to get the words out.

"Last week..." The butler spoke quietly as he looked back down at the floor.

Gomez blinked as he put his hand to his chin in thought.

"Do you remember which day and time by any chance?" He asked for the butler to explain further.

Lurch sat up a little straighter as he took his hands away from his hair; leaving it quite messy and rugged. He shrugged before he came up with an answer.

"Tuesday, afternoon..." Lurch recalled as he remembered Lisa's beautiful singing so clearly.

Gomez noticed that Lurch became lost in thought as his face turned into a very subtle shade of magenta. Mr Addams quickly remembered what happened that afternoon. Lurch and Lisa played and sang a song with each other and Lurch started having those odd changes of colour. The eccentric man thought about it for a moment before he put two and two together. But he needed to be sure first.

"Did you have feelings like this the day before as well? Like when you saw what Morticia did with Ms Lisa's hair?" Gomez asked wondering how the butler was going to answer.

Lurch looked at Mr Addams as his mind came back down to earth. He just nodded slightly as he recalled himself dropping that dish when he saw Lisa and her now blood rose red hair. Mr Addams snapped his fingers in realization as he stood up and smiled.

"That's it, Lurch! You're not sick!" Mr Addams said like he just made a breakthrough.

"...I'm not?" Lurch questioned; confused over Mr Addams and his suddenly delighted tone.

"No, my good man! Isn't it obvious?" Gomez questioned with a supportive smile before he blurted out the answer. "You're in love!"

* * *

Morticia blinked as she put her paint and brush down; moving over to where Lisa was sitting.

"What about Lurch, Lisa?" Mrs Addams asked; wondering if he might have done something that Lisa did not like. "Did he make your bed without asking first?"

Lisa gave Morticia a slightly confused look.

"No; but why would that be a problem?" She asked woman in black.

"Well, usually when we have a guest staying with us; Lurch usually asks first before he does any cleaning in the guest room." Morticia explained more clearly.

Lisa nodded in understanding. But she quickly got back to the topic at hand.

"This doesn't have anything to do with that." Lisa clarified before explaining. "It's something a bit more complicated."

Morticia blinked in question; paying full attention to what Lisa was going to say. Lisa took a deep breath as she carefully thought of how she was going to word her next sentence.

"I... think I might... like Lurch?" Lisa said with a couple of awkward pauses.

Morticia gave Lisa a mildly confused look before responding.

"Well, he's quite a lovely person. It's hard to see why anyone wouldn't like him." Mrs Addams replied with a nice thing to say about the loyal butler.

Lisa just let a quiet laugh before she explained with a pessimistic grimace.

"I don't mean it like that." She said before clarifying what she meant. "I mean I like, like him."

Morticias confused stare was quickly replaced by a subtle look of realization; getting what Lisa was saying. Lisa almost flinched when Morticia gently put her hands on her arm; giving her a little smile that Lisa hard trouble reading.

"Lisa! Are you really saying You're in love with Lurch?" Mrs Addams asked with more excitement then she intended.

Lisa gave Morticia a nervous grin before answering carefully.

"I wouldn't say in love. Not just yet anyway." The young lady said to the woman in black before explaining further. "That's actually what I hoping to talk to you about."

Morticia watched as Lisa gave her a little frown of uncertainty; looking around the room in case anyone was listening and eavesdropping.

"Can you keep a secret?" Lisa asked as she adjusted her seating on the couch.

Morticia gently let go of Lisa and nodded; giving the girl her full attention. Lisa took a deep breath before telling Morticia her secret.

"I recently got out of a very bad relationship." Lisa confessed calmly.

* * *

Lurch stared at Mr Addams like he was possibly insane. The butler was not sure if he just heard him correctly. There was no way he would have just said he was in love.

"...Pardon?..." Lurch asked; thinking he just misheard Mr Addams.

"You're not actually sick, Lurch! You're in love with Ms Lisa!" Gomez repeated himself with the same smile.

Lurch quickly realized that he did not mishear Mr Addams at all. He heard him loud and very clear. The butler had absolutely no idea how respond to this sudden revelation. He just stared into space as he tried to process it; feeling like his brain just decided to stop working. Gomez quickly took notice and tried getting his attention.

"Lurch? You still with me, old man?" Mr Addams asked; trying to pull Lurch back down to earth.

Lurch just responded by covering his face with a muffled groan of embarrassed disbelief. Gomez blinked with a confused frown at the butler's behaviour; thinking he'd at least be relived that he was not actually ill. Something like a cold or seasonal flu would have been quite lovely though.

"Why so unhappy, Lurch? I thought you would at least be glad that you're not ill; but in love." Gomez asked as he put a reassuring hand on the man's shoulder.

Lurch just shook his head and continued to moan; still covering his face from embarrassment.

"Doesn't feel right..." The butler said in a muffled tone of displeasure.

Gomez took a moment to think before he nodded in understanding.

"There's no need to be anxious, Lurch." Mr Addams reassured the man as he began to explain. "I actually felt like that when I fell in love with Morticia so many years ago."

Lurch still covered his face with his hands. But he moved them a little to look at Mr Addams as he continued to talk with a look of pure bliss.

"I'll never forget the day I first met her. It was her first funeral. A couple of open graves; it was raining steady. She was wearing all black and had a see through veil over her face. If she had wings, she would've been a dark angel. And I'll tell you; she really was."

Lurch watched as Mr Addams shook his head as he recalled a part of that memory that made him smile a little less.

"I was just so scared and too nervous to go up and talk to her."

Lurch sat up and slowly took his hands away from his face; showing himself to be rather confused. The butler never thought that Mr Addams was the type to be nervous around woman. He always thought the man was the picture of confidence.

"You were?..." Lurch asked; having trouble picturing what Mr Addams just said.

"Very much so. I was so nervous when I tried to talk to her, I lost my ability to speak." Gomez put his hands to his throat to exaggerate. "Morticia thought I was mute until I accidentally shouted out what my name was to her. I was terrified that she was going to run the other way and never look back after doing that. But do you know what she did instead?"

Lurch shook his head no with a quiet grunt before Addams explained further.

"She smiled at me, said it was lovely to meet me, and told me her name." Gomez recalled the outcome as he sat down at his desk and took out a cigar from his front pocket. "We spent the rest of the wake talking and getting to know each other. It was practically love at first sight. Some time after, I contacted her again and asked if she wanted to have a panic at the local graveyard. Morticia told me that she had similar feels too. She wanted to talk to me at the funeral, but she was too nervous to make the first move."

Lurch just let out a quiet confused groan as he tilted his head a little bit to the right; wondering what this had to do with him and Lisa. Gomez could tell Lurch was getting impatient, so he decided to get to the point.

"Lurch; my point is that you're not alone about having feelings like this." Gomez reassured as he put the cigar with a match. "I had feelings just like that for Morticia; Morticia had feelings like that for me. And we still do. Everyone experiences them differently."

Lurch was beginning to understand as Mr Addams took a puff from his cigar. But the butler still needed help with this. Not because it all felt so strange. But now he had a new problem. How did Lisa feel about him?

* * *

Morticia put her hand to her chest with a very light gasp that was almost inaudible. Lisa continued to explain as Morticia continued to listen.

"I'm not going to go into much detail. But what I can say is that he made it hard for me to think I could make a good decision when it comes to people."

Morticia blinked in concern before she asked a question.

"How long were you with this man, Lisa?" The woman in black asked.

Lisa blinked before looking down and shrugging.

"A while..." She answered bluntly before getting back to what she wanted to talk about. "But let's not linger on that; I want to talk about my... complicated feelings towards your butler."

"Oh, yes; of course." Morticia reassured Lisa and told her to go on.

Lisa rubbed her arms as she tried thinking of the right way to say what she wanted to get across.

"I know I've only known him for a week like how I've only known you and your family for a week." The young lady started out as she adjusted her seating on the couch. "And I was actually terrified of Lurch when I first met him; up until I started getting to know him a little. But for the last few days, I started getting these weird signals in my brain that usually..."

Morticia watched as Lisa fell silent. Like she forgot what she wanted to say or she just hit an intellectual roadblock. Lisa made a quiet annoyed grunt before turning to Morticia.

"Ya know that feeling when someone doesn't make you feel like they're going to push you into a pit of snakes or delete your save files on purpose?" Lisa tried comparing what she was feeling to her thoughts.

Morticia took a moment to think while wondering why Lisa would hate being pushed into a pit of snakes. Then a very specific word came to mind.

"Trust?" The woman in black asked as she guessed the word Lisa was looking for.

Lisa nodded as she looked at Morticia in the eye.

"Yeah. I trust Lurch." She answered before her tone turned worrisome. "But that worries me. I'm sure Lurch is a nice guy and a decent fella; but I'm scared that if I tell him how I feel, I'll get rejected. Or I might get taken advantage of like my ex did to me."

Morticia could see Lisa becoming a bit distressed as she continued to talk. The young lady was hunching over slightly and holding onto her arms rather tightly with a mildly paranoid grimace on her face. Mrs Addams was not sure if it was her place to ask. But she had to say something.

"Just what exactly did this person do to you?" She asked out of concerned curiosity.

Lisa rubbed the back of her neck as she let out a light exhale; looking up to Morticia with a small yet uncomfortable frown.

"I'd rather not talk about it." Lisa said quietly as she calmed down a bit. "You understand."

Morticia blinked as Lisa gently answered back. She understood that Lisa did not want to talk about her ex partner. But it made Morticia worryingly curious. Thinking it would be better to drop the topic for now, she went back to something else.

"I can assure you. Lurch is a very trust worthy man that would never harm a hair on anyone's head. Not unless they've done something to deserve it." Morticia reassured lisa before bringing herself closer to whisper something to her. "And he's honestly just a lovely sweetheart."

Lisa blinked in question before her curiosity kicked in.

"He is?" She asked; wondering how much of sweetheart the butler actually was.

"Well, there was that one time when one of my friends came over for a visit one week and he was head over heels for her." Morticia began to explain with a story. "But unfortunately, she just didn't feel the same way. Gomez, Wednesday, uncle Fester and I tried helping him find ones to woo her. Grandmama even tried using a love potion on her."

"Did it work?" Lisa asked with an inquisitive smile.

Morticia nodded with a worrisome frown as she remembered the butler locking himself in the playroom to get away from the love-struck lady.

"It worked a bit too well. She fell in love him along with Fester and my Gomez." Morticia recalled with a rather bitter thought in her head at the last part. "But the potion wore off after an hour or so. Lurch was a bit sad about her leaving, but he said he was quite frightened when she suddenly turned so clingy; he was completely put off."

Lisa nodded in agreement at the thought.

"I can imagine that." She could picture the event vaguely.

* * *

"Come on now, Lurch. Ms Lisa might have similar feelings for you like you do for her." Gomez tried reassuring the anxious butler that was slowly pacing around the office. "It's a very even chance."

Lurch just leaned against a nearby wall as he let out a worrisome moan.

"Don't, know..." He moaned as he fiddled with his sleeves anxiously.

Gomez was not sure how to get Lurch to see the better side of his predicament. The butler was just too anxious to even think that Lisa even considered or suspected Lurch have feelings for. Gomez just shook his head with his hands on his hips. But he quickly put his hand to chin as he had a thought.

"I don't think Lisa will be leaving any time soon." Gomez speculated loosely; getting Lurch to pay attention to him and calm down a little. "But you really should tell her how you really feel before that happens."

Lurch just let a low grunt of mild dislike; thinking that talking to someone he really liked was so much harder than it had to be. Lurch looked down at his employer as he turned to him.

"Please don't tell her..." The butler asked of his employer.

Gomez looked up with a nod of understanding and a knowing smile.

"I won't utter a word of this to Lisa, Lurch. Addamses dishonour." Mr Addams spoke with one hand on his chest and one hand in the air.

Lurch just slowly as he turned towards the door; thinking Mr Addams had done everything he could to help. But he stopped when he felt Mr Addams quickly put gently placed a hand on the larger man's shoulder.

"And Lurch. The best way into a woman's heart is to just be yourself." Gomez spoke with a smile of reassurance.

Lurch blinked as he looked down in thought; thinking long and hard about Mr Addams advise as he turned towards the door to leave the office.

* * *

Lisa played with the ring on her finger as she thought of what to ask of Morticia.

"So... do you think I should tell Lurch what I think of him?" The young lady asked as she looked up at the woman in black.

Morticia took a second to think before she answered.

"Well... I think it would be best to take your time and think about how you want to tell him." Mrs Addams explained as truthfully as she could. "You should have plenty of time to do it. You're not going to leave any time soon, are you, Lisa?"

Lisa shook her head with a shrug.

"I don't have any plans." Lisa said as she stood up off the couch. "Thanks for listening to what I had to say, Morticia. I'll take your advice to heart too."

"I'm glad I could be of help, dear." Morticia said with a gentle bow.

Lisa was about to turn around and head back upstairs before she quickly looked to Morticia.

"Just one more thing, Morticia." Lisa said before she asked for a small favour. "Could you maybe not tell Lurch about this? I wanna talk to him when I feel ready, and I don't want to make him feel uncomfortable."

"Your secret's safe with me, Lisa; don't worry." Morticia said with an understanding nod.

Lisa thanked her before she turned around and made her way to and up the stairs. Morticia watched as the young lady left to do what ever she had planned today. But Lisa was stopped halfway up the stairs when a certain butler almost bumped into her at the halfway point. Morticia watched rather curiously as the pair tried to get past each other politely; Lisa saying sorry and excuse me while Lurch tried standing against the railing. Lisa gave Lurch a slightly shy thank you before walking past him and continuing up the stairs and disappearing around the corner to her room. Morticia quietly observed the butler as he looked down at the steps in front of him; his face turning into a very noticeable shade of magenta.

* * *

Mr Addams laid on the bed and watched with a smile of adoration as Morticia brushed her hair; making it smooth and sleek as she made it to ninety-seven brush strokes.

"Ninety-seven... Ninety-eight... Ninety-nine..." She counted to the magic number of one hundred as she finished brushing her hair for the night.

"Hearing you count like that makes my black heart flutter, Cara Mia." Gomez said as he watched his soul mate put her brush and turned away from the mirror.

"Darling, you say that to me every night when I brush my hair before bed." Morticia commented with a little smile as she climbed into bed.

"Because it is the truth, my mistress of darkness."

Gomez gently brought himself closer to his wife; gently wrapping his arms around her waist to embrace her and wish her a dreadful nights sleep. But her quickly get the feeling that something was a miss. He looked to see his beloved staring off into nothing; like her mind was elsewhere.

"Darling? Is something wrong?" Gomez asked out of concern; wondering what was on Morticias mind.

Morticia took a moment to think before looking directly at her husband.

"Gomez? Have noticed how odd Lurch has been acting lately?" Mrs Addams asked her beloved about the butler's odd behaviour.

Gomez sat up straight and blinked as he recalled the butler coming to see him earlier today; wondering if Morticia noticed.

"How so, Cara Mia?" He asked; wondering what counted as odd.

Morticia adjusted her seating on the bed as she explained.

"Well, I noticed that he's been acting a bit shy and nervous around Lisa. They almost bumped into each other on the stairs and had trouble getting around each other." She recalled what happened after she and Lisa had their talk. "And Lurch had a shade of magenta on his face when Lisa left for her room."

Gomez looked down at the seats as he remembered Lurch requesting him not to talk about their meeting. But the butler only said don't tell Lisa. He did not say anything about telling Morticia about it.

"I cannot lie, Morticia. I promised Lurch I wouldn't say a word of what we talk about to Ms Lisa." Gomez said as he looked around to make sure no one was listening in on them. "He came to my office today and told me he thought he was ill."

"Oh?" Morticia made of little sound of concerned interest before asking. "He doesn't have red eye again, does he?"

"Well, I did a little check up for him. He's not actually sick. He's heart has been racing, he had a temperature of ninety-eight point six and he's been a bit colourful as of late." Gomez explained the results of the check up.

"Yes, He's become quite the chameleon recently." Morticia agreed as she thought of how he looked earlier.

"That's not even the end of it. I asked when exactly he's been getting these so-called symptoms. And he said it was when he and Lisa made music together."

Morticia quickly realized what Gomez was implying as a smile broke on his face.

"Gomez, you think that maybe Lurch is-"

"In love with Ms Lisa? He practically has it written all over his face!" Gomez answered with a rather excited tone; quickly realising how loud he was being and quieted himself down.

Morticia almost gasped as she grabbed her husband's hands with her own little excited smile.

"Lisa came to me today and told me she might have similar feelings for him!" the woman in black quickly told him what Lisa said to her. "But she asked me not to tell Lurch."

"Lurch asked me not to tell her!" Gomez replied with what Lurch asked for. "Morticia; they are in love! But they don't know how the other feels!"

Morticias little smile quickly turned into a look of worry and concern; letting go off her husband's hands and turning away for one hand on her chin.

"Oh dear." She muttered; gaining her husband's concern.

"Darling? What's wrong?" Gomez asked what was now troubling Morticia.

Morticia slowly shook her head in worry before responding.

"Poor Lurch might not get the chance to tell Lisa how he feels." She said with a mild tone of worry. "Lisa said she doesn't have any plans to leave, but that could change soon."

Gomez looked down as he realized that as well. People did have a tendency to change their minds about things.

"It's quite possible." Gomez said with crossed arms.

"En effet." Morticia agreed in French.

Gomezs eyed lit up before he grabbed Morticias arm and started kissing her.

"Tish, that French goes right through me." He spoke lustfully in between kisses.

Morticia was about to say something to her husband. But she remained silent as an idea formed in her mind in a short amount of time.

"Darling, I have an idea." Morticia tapped her husband on the shoulder to get his dull attention.

Gomez looked up as he made a little sound of confusion; giving his beloved his full attention before she explained her idea.

"Maybe we should convince Lurch to take Lisa out on a date." Mrs Addams said with a hint of confidence.

Gomez sat and put his hand to his chin in thought; thinking of how it could be down.

"Well, there is that coffee place in town. Lurch could take her there and they could have some nice coffee grounds together." Gomez suggested with a little smile.

Morticia raised a brow at him in response.

"Darling; I'm sure they would like to do more then go out for coffee." She answered; making Gomez think a bit more. "Although, I heard someone say that the town Is having a Halloween carnival next week."

Gomez looked up at Morticia and blinked with interest.

"Carnival?" He repeated in question.

"I think they're doing it on the night before Halloween. Right before we are having that big family get-together we have planned." Morticia remembered as much as she could.

Gomez snapped his fingers as he realized what she was talking.

"Of course! There was something about it in today's paper!" Gomez remembered seeing something about a pre-Halloween carnival night in the newspaper. "You think they would enjoy that?"

"It's the perfect romantic set up. Bats flying overhead, jack o lanterns on every corner; it'll be perfect for them." Morticia imagined the scenery of such a thing. "We'll just have to convince one of them to go and ask if they'll take the other with them."

Gomez sat up with one hand on his side and one hand on his chest.

"Then it's settled. I'll tell Lisa about the carnival, and if she wants to go, we can say Lurch will take her; easy as that." Gomez spoke triumphantly as he shook his fist in the air above him.

Morticia sat up and gently grabbed her husband's arm; getting him to sit back down on her before he could fell over himself.

"Let's not get too far ahead of ourselves, Gomez." She warned before placing a hand on his cheek lovingly. "We'll see what happens when we tell Lisa about the carnival tomorrow and go from there."

Gomez relaxed and put his arm down as he realized one thing one had to be done at a time. The man gently wrapped his arms around his wife's waist as a little smile appeared on his face.

"You're right, Cara Mia. We'll see what happens." He agreed before he thought of something. "Darling, how long has it been since we last embraced?"

Morticia gave the love of her life a little smile of affection as she embraced him and gave him a kiss.

"Hours, gomez." She answered him before the pair began kissing passionately; the candles lighting the bedroom going out and leaving them in the embrace of the dark.


	14. Make it a date

Lisa watched as Pugsley and Uncle Fester craved out slingshots from pieces of wood; the bald man giving the boy pointers as they did so. She wondered what exactly Pugsley was supposed to learn from this. Maybe it was supposed to be like outdoor survival stuff or junior doomsday prep. She was sure that she did not want to know. But then again...

"So, why do you need so many slingshots?" She asked the boy sanded one down.

"They're for giving out to the trick or treaters on Halloween." Pugsley explained with a playful grin. "It's happening next week on Friday."

"Yep! I've already got a bunch of pumpkins ready to carve and put out front." Uncle Fester added with wide grin.

Lisa blinked as she suddenly realised Halloween really was next week. She loved Halloween, ever since she could walk and talk. She smiled a little as she recalled one year when she and her brother dressed up as Superman and Wonder woman. Lisa was Superman and her brother was wonder woman. But the smile on her quickly turned into a mildly saddened frown as she realised that she had missed Halloween for the last couple of years. She was probably going to miss it again this year too.

Mrs Addams was sitting in her chair knitting a sweater with an extra arm going out of the chest while Gomez was sitting on the sofa; re-reading yesterday's paper as they waited for the right time to set their plan in motion. Morticia looked up from her project to look at Gomez; who looked up from his paper at the same time. Morticia slightly tilted her head towards Lisa's direction; giving out a signal to her husband and their plan. Gomez responded with a little unnoticeable nod and smile. Putting his paper down, he gave his wife a smile as he stood up.

"I think I might like some tea. Would you, Cara Mia?" Gomez asked as he made his way to the noose to call for Lurch.

Morticia quickly took notice of her husband giving her a wink; giving him a little playful smile in return.

"Absolutely, Mon amour." She agrees as she goes back to her knitting.

Gomez froze for a split second before quickly rushing to Morticias' side; kneeling down, grabbing her arm and kissing it repeatedly.

"Speak more French, Cara Mia; I beg you." Gomez begged in between each passionate kiss.

Morticia waited patiently for Gomez to remember what he was supposed to be doing before she gently tapped him on the shoulder; making him up look up with a mildly confused look on his face.

"Gomez darling; don't lose track now." Morticia reminded him with a wink away from Lisa and the boys.

Gomez smiled and straightened himself out as he realized his passion distracted him.

"Yes, of course my dark angel." He said with a guilty grin as he walked over to the noose and pulled.

Lisa quickly realized what Mr Addams was doing and put her hands over her ears; keeping herself steady as he rang the bell that summoned Lurch. Everyone else just acted as they did normally as the loud bell erupted through the house. Before long, the butler arrived as Lisa took her hands away from her ears; looking up at him as he came in through the greenhouse.

"You rang?..." Lurch asked with a stone-faced look to go with his deep tone.

"Yes, Lurch. Mrs Addams and I would like some henbane tea." Mr Addams requested with a smile.

"With a small shot of cyanide if we have any." Morticia added as Mr Addams sat back down and picked up his paper.

Lurch briefly nodded in acknowledgment before walking off to the kitchen to prepare some henbane tea. Morticia went back to her knitting while Gomez put their plan into motion. He quickly looked for the page about the Halloween carnival happening in a few days; hoping to get Lisa's attention with it as he found it.

"Oh, this looks interesting." Gomez said in a slightly raised voice as he found the article.

Morticia noticed Lisa still had her attention aimed towards Pugsley and fester; turning towards Gomez for help.

"What's interesting, Darling?" She asked calmly as she gently put her knitting down on her lap.

"It seems the town Is having a carnival the night before Halloween later next week." Gomez said clearly while he showed Morticia the article; hoping to catch Lisa's attention.

Lisa sat up and turned her head towards Mr Addams as he showed Mrs Addams the article he was talking about. Pugsley and Fester looked up from what they were doing

"Halloween Carnival?" Lisa asked in interest as she stood up and came over.

"Hey, yeah. It's on the night right before our big family Halloween celebration too." Pugsley remembered Wednesday and her friends talking about it. "Since The town started doing it last year, it's been a big hit."

"Yeah. Last year, they had a dunking booth that I volunteered for. It was kinda boring until Pugsley here filled it with piranhas." Fester added with a rather mischievous grin.

Lisa blinked with confusion at the man as she tries not to question how he survived being dunked in a tank full of piranhas. Or why Pugsley had piranhas to put in the tank in the first place.

"Sounds like... fun." She said with a very short pause.

Just as Gomez was about to show her the article, Lurch came in holding a tray with two charcoal coloured teacups and a teapot with heavy steam coming out of the spout. The butler just minded his own business as he set the tray down on a nearby table and began pouring tea.

"It definitely sounds like fun. A lot of people who are going dress up in costumes too. It's like if Halloween had a day before like how Christmas has one." Gomez as Lisa looked at the article.

"Yes. There's going to be a haunted house maze, bobbing for apples; and Parker told us some kids from school are going to be performing as a cover band." Morticia added with a little knowing smile.

Lisa looked up with increasing interest as Morticia mentioned something about a band. Lurch continued minding his own business as he finished pouring one cup of tea.

"What kind of cover band?" The young lady asked with a little smile.

"Wednesday said they're band name is, Medication." Pugsley explained as he crossed his legs on the floor. "They're supposed to be a cover band of some guys called the Cure or something."

Lisa let out a light gasp before her smile grew a little wider.

"I love the Cure." She whispered before raising her voice slightly. "That sounds so cool. I've never been to a Halloween carnival."

Lurch continued to mind his own as he finished pouring into the second cup of tea; even though he was carefully listening to every word being spoken in the room. Lisa slowly stopped smiling when she realised going out alone might not be the best idea.

"Maybe I shouldn't go." She reconsidered as she rubbed her arm and looked down at the floor.

Gomez and Morticia looked at each other as they had to quickly think of something.

"Why shouldn't you go, dear?" Morticia asked with concern; hoping there was something that could change Lisa's mind.

"I don't know. I guess I don't really want to go by myself." Lisa guessed as she rubbed her neck awkwardly. "I don't really know my way around this town apart from the mall."

Morticia looked towards Gomez as his dark eyes lit up with an idea while Lurch set the teapot down and picked up the tray to move it over to Mr and Mrs Addams; still minding his own business.

"Well, maybe Lurch could go with you." Gomez proposed as he stood up from his chair with a smile.

Lurch froze as he processed what Mr Addams just said. He stood there with a minor amount of confusion on his almost blank face as everyone turned their vision to him; including Lisa.

"Uhh?" The butler tried to get something out; only managing a quiet groan of question.

"He knows his way around. He'd be a great accomplice for you if you still want to go." Gomez added with reasoning; turning his head a little towards Lurch and winking at him without Lisa noticing.

Lurch blinked in worrisome confusion before Morticia gave her two cents to Lisa.

"And there's this lovely coffee shop in town that you could go to before the carnival. You two could have a chat and get to know each other better." Mrs Addams said with a little Mona Lisa smile.

Lisa blinked as Morticia gave her a knowing wink like Gomez gave to Lurch. But Lisa immediately caught on with what the husband and wife were doing and went along with it.

"They make iced drinks at this coffee place?" She asked with increased interest and a smile.

"Yes. And they're coffee grounds are absolutely capital." Gomez added before turning to the butler. "Isn't that right, Lurch?"

Lurch could only just shrug in response to what Mr Addams asked; trying to keep his hands from shaking and dropping the tea tray.

Lisa looked down to the floor as she thought about it. Getting out of the house for an evening sounded nice and the idea of hanging out with Lurch sounded even nicer. But she kind of noticed that the butler was looking a bit off somehow. Like he was suddenly going to fall over at any second. Maybe she should just ask him if he was okay with it and up to it. Lurch watched carefully Lisa looked up at him with a shrug.

"If you wanna come with me next week, you can." Lisa said as she put her hands in her hoodie pockets. "But if you don't, that's okay. It's really not that big of a-"

"I'll go with you!" Lurch interrupted suddenly; dropping the tea tray out of his hands.

Lisa froze and blinked as the butler raised his normally deep and quiet voice slightly yet noticeably. Morticia and Gomez both stared in mild surprise while Pugsley looked up to see what the noise was. Lurch quickly straightened himself out when he looked down; realising there should have been a crash with broken porcelain and spilt tea. But Thing had been right in front of Lurch just in the nick of time to catch the tray and what was on top of it; crawling over to Mr and Mrs Addams as he balanced it on his wrist.

"Thank you, Thing." Mr Addams thanked the dismembered hand; taking the tea from him before looking up at Lurch with a slightly concerned look. "Lost control of yourself for a moment there, old man. Are you feeling alright?"

Lurch quickly nodded and straightened himself out; clearing his throat before turning to Lisa. The young lady kept still as the butler talked to her.

"I'd, like to, go with you." Lurch spoke calmly with his hands behind his back.

Morticia and Gomez watched as Lisa took her hands out of her pockets and smiled a little.

"Okay, yeah. That sounds like a great afternoon out." Lisa looked forward to it with a smile. "I'm gonna go downstairs and help Grandmama with the laundry. See you guys at dinner."

Everyone watched as Lisa made her way to a different part of the house as she hummed a tune to a song she knew. Pugsley and Uncle Fester wondered what just happened while Morticia and Gomez hugged each other in triumph; going on about some part of a plan working. Lurch let out a disapproving grunt as he grabbed Mr Addams and turned him around to face him.

"You promised!..." The butler spoke with an almost unnoticeable hint of anxiety; accusing his employer of telling Lisa about his affections for her.

"No, Lurch; I didn't say anything to her. I swear it." Mr Addams reassured the butler that he kept his promise. "I only told Morticia and no one else. Honest."

"We came up with a plan to help you gain Lisa's affection." Morticia began explaining what her Gomez talked about last night. "Getting her interested in going to the carnival was just one step."

"And since she didn't want to go by herself, it's the perfect opportunity for you to spend time with her." Gomez added with undertones of excitement as he spoke. "Why, the Halloween season is the best time of the year for a date."

Pugsley and Fester watched as Lurch suddenly turned incredibly pale; like his soul suddenly decided to leave his body when heard the word 'date'. Morticia and Gomez quickly took notice of the butlers sudden stillness and change of colour; thinking something might be wrong.

"Lurch? Are you alright?" Morticia asked with worrisome concern.

The giant of a man responded with a worried moan as he lowered himself down on the nearby sofa; grabbing a cushion and holding it against his face as he continued to moan. Pugsley and Fester blinked in confusion at the sight while Morticia and Gomez gave each other looks of worry; thinking they may have made a mistake.


	15. Reading the Lines

**AN: Sorry this took so long. I don't really have any excuse aside from writers block. And feeling pretty lousy because of the whole covid situation. They closed the boarder to Queensland because of some stupid girls crossing it and I'm worried I won't get to visit my brother for Christmas. But that's a far while away; it could change for the better soon.**

**Anyway, enjoy this chapter and stay safe.**

* * *

Wednesday hummed a quiet nameless tune as she sewed little black buttons for eyes on the little rag doll in her hand; crafting it into a voodoo doll for later use. She would just need someone's hair to attach to it and then she could try it out. She finished sewing one button on before she heard the sound of someone being lifted off their feet and snatched from the ground below her. Wednesday looked down from her spot on one of Ichabod's branches to see Pugsley being lifted towards her by the living tree; being held upside down by his ankles.

"I was just about to come down and look for you." Wednesday greeted as she turned around to fully face her brother. "I'm almost finished making another doll and I need someone's hair to test it."

"Are you gonna stick a pin in it?" Pugsley asked; suddenly sounding rather interested in being a test subject.

"It'll be needle sharp." Wednesday nodded briefly in a straight forward tone.

Pugsley smiled as he plucked out a couple of hairs off his head and gave to Wednesday; watching as she began to sew them to the dolls head. The boy suddenly remembered what he was doing before Ichabod swept him off his feet.

"I was actually looking for you. Something funny happened in the living happened a few minutes ago." Pugsley said with an upside-down grin as he watched Wednesday sew the hairs he gave her onto the doll.

"Did Kitty pounce on Uncle Fester again?" Wednesday asked as she focused on her project.

"Actually no. Lurch is gonna take Lisa out on a date."

Wednesday stopped what she was doing and froze for a brief moment. She slowly looked up at Pugsley with her head slightly tilted to her right as she processed what he just told her.

"Lurch is taking Lisa out on a date?" She repeated in question; thinking she did not hear her brother properly.

Pugsley nodded with a rather cheeky upside-down grin. Wednesday continued processing what her brother was saying before asking further.

"Right now?" The girl with noose braids asked with growing curiosity.

"Not right now. He's gonna take her to the Halloween carnival next week." Pugsley explained as he began to slowly sway left to right. "I'm not sure if Lisa actually thinks it's a date though. I just over heard dad saying it was part of some plan he and mom had."

Wednesday looked away for a moment as she thought about how that would have gone. And how Lurch reacted to it.

"Pugsley? Where is Lurch now?" Wednesday asked for the whereabouts of the butler.

"He left the living room after moaning into a pillow for a few minutes. He was still moaning into it when he left." Pugsley explained as he continued to sway.

Wednesday looked towards the house as she thought of what the butler was doing and where he actually was at the moment. She finished sewing her brothers hair onto the doll and gave him a pin.

"I need to go do something important. Test this out while gone." Wednesday informed as she handed the doll to her brother and asked Ichabod to lower her down.

The living tree lowered Wednesday down to the ground as Pugsley let out an excited chuckle. Wednesday quickly made her way back to the house to find Lurch; hearing her brother make slightly pained noises as she went inside.

Wednesday made her way upstairs as she looked left and right. She already looked for Lurch in other parts of the house. She looked in the kitchen, she looked in the greenhouse. She even peeked into the playroom before Thing signed to her where the butler probably was. His room. The child in black made her way to the door with a large chunk of the wall missing on top of it. She brought her hand up to the door and knocked three times.

"Lurch? Are you in there?" Wednesday asked as she listened for him.

Wednesday looked up as she heard a low muffled moan from inside the room. The child thought it sounded like a moan of distressed sadness. Not at all what Lurch usually sounded like. She grabbed the doorknob and opened the door only slightly; blinking when she saw a rather large person hiding under the sheets on the beat-up looking bed in the corner of the room. Wednesday fully opened the door and approached cautiously as Thing followed her in; unsure of how exactly Lurch was feeling to make him hide like that.

"Lurch? It's me, Wednesday." The girl in black greeted as she stood in front of the mountain under the sheet.

Wednesday heard a quiet groan as the butler shifted slightly in her direction; like he could see her and Thing through the sheet.

"Pugsley told me what happened in the living room." Wednesday quickly clarified.

Lurch turned away with another groan; annoyed that someone else knows about his dilemma. Wednesday could tell he was not his usual self. This situation with Lisa was bothering him to no end. Maybe talking about it would help him.

"Do you want to talk about it, friend?" The girl in black asked; offering the butler her support.

Lurch sat up slightly as Wednesday offered to help him; moving it away from his face slightly before nodding a little. Wednesday nodded back as she took a seat beside her friend while Thing hopped onto her shoulder.

"So, what's on your mind?" Wednesday asked.

Lurch looked down at the floor as he moved the sheet away; letting Wednesday see his tired face.

"Lisa..." The butler spoke softly as he kept his eyes on the floor. "Taking her to carnival next week..."

Wednesday nodded as she recalled what Pugsley told her. She did not really think Lurch had a lot of confidence to ask her out. Bless his heart. Her parents must have pushed him to do it.

"Did mother and father have anything to do with it?" She asked.

Lurch just responded with a groan as he pulled the sheet back; covering his top half and face again like he did not want to be seen. Wednesday raised a brow before sitting up.

"I'll take that as a yes." She muttered before getting back on topic. "I suppose this does explain why you've been acting so strangely."

"Hmm?..." Lurch groaned in question as he turned to Wednesday; moving the sheet away to see her properly.

"Well, I've noticed that when you're around Ms Lisa, you become quite distracted and distant. Like a sailor attracted to a sirens song, or Pugsley when he sees fireworks."

Lurch did not notice that his face began to redden as he looked back at the floor; thinking Wednesday was onto him. Wednesday looked up him with a suspicious gaze; having a vague idea of why Lurch was like that around their guest.

"Lurch; be truthful." Wednesday requested kindly as she placed a hand on the giants arm. "Do you see Lisa as a possible soul mate?"

Lurch wanted to deny it like he did at the school drama showcase. But he could not lie to Wednesday. She was too smart for that. With a defeated sigh, the butler removed the sheet from his flustered face and nodded; letting his friend know the truth. Wednesday simply responded by putting one hand to her chin in thought; deep in thought about this little revelation.

"Well... I am a little surprised." She admitted before continuing. "I always thought you would fall for someone a bit more monstrous then whatever Lisa is. But to tell the truth, she seems like quite a catch."

Lurch nodded in agreement with a quiet groan. But Wednesday suddenly had a realisation.

"Lurch? Have actually told her how you feel?" The girl in black asked.

Lurch looked the other way before slowly shaking his head no; almost embarrassed by this fact. Wednesday looked down at the floor as she realised the position Lurch was in. Mother and father set him up on a date with someone he is just too shy to talk to. And date is only just a week away. Wednesday quickly put two and two together. Lurch was going to need Help.

"Lurch. I can see that you are in a great amount of distress." Wednesday said as she stood up on the bed; only coming up just below the butlers shoulders. "So, I've decided that you will need some help if you want this date with Lisa to go well and hit it off with her."

Lurch turned his head towards Wednesday and looked down at her; wondering how exactly she could help.

"How?..." He asked.

Wednesday simply responded by jumping off the bed and landing feet first on the floor; looking up at the butler as she walked towards the door.

"Try not to worry too much about it. I know some people who might be able to help." The noose braided girl said before leaving the room.

Lurch wanted to stop Wednesday from leaving; having no idea what she was talking about. But she was already gone. The butler just looked down at the floor and rubbed his forehead; getting a headache from all this confusion.

* * *

Lisa looked down as she lifted a washed and wet bed sheet out of the wash tub; turning around to face Grandmama and handing the old woman one end of the sheet.

"Ready, kid?" Grandmama Addams asked as she started twisting it from her end.

"Yep." Lisa replied as she copied what Grandmama was doing in the opposite direction.

The elder witch and the young lady started twisting the bed sheet; draining out excess water from the wash tub and letting fall down into the drain in the floor. Lisa helped and watched as she and Grandmama straightened out the sheet and lifted it up high; attaching it to the laundry line with black and grey pegs.

"No offence, but wouldn't it be easier to hang everything outside?" Lisa asked why the laundry would be drying in the basement. "I mean, it would dry much quicker out in the sun and wind."

"Because the sunlight would ruin the fabric and shade, dear. We leave it down here and it keeps the way we like it." Grandmama explained as she moved on to the next piece of laundry.

Lisa nodded in almost understanding; not really sure if that was actually how drying clothing and bed sheets works. She just decided to ignore it and ask something else; grabbing another piece of laundry from the tub as she thought of a question.

"If you don't mind me asking, are you an actually witch?" The young asked as she drained the excess water from the dress she picked up. "Like do you fly around on a broomstick and cast spells on people?"

"I usually go for a flight or two on Halloween or whenever there's a full moon. The cold breeze is good for these old joints of mine." Grandmama explained as she hung up one of Gomezs' dress shirts. "As for spells, I'm quite fond of curses and fortune telling."

Lisa's ears perked up with interest as the old woman mentioned something about curses along with fortune telling.

"Like palm reading and looking into a crystal ball?" Lisa asked rather curiously. "And curses like voodoo?"

Grandmama nodded with a little shrug.

"I like to inflict a few curses on anyone who deserves it on occasion." The elderly witch said as she put up another piece of laundry. "But fortune telling is where the money's at. That and cheating at poker against pirates in the Caribbean."

Lisa would have said something about the pirates. But she was used to this family saying rather strange things now that she was staying for a little while longer. Just a week ago, she would not have believed seances were real either; but having that talk with her father made her believe otherwise.

"Wish I could see what my future has in store for me." Lisa muttered under her breath as she grabbed one of Pugsleys striped shirts from the wash tub.

Grandmama overheard Lisa's muttering and made a little hum of interest.

"You wish to know what is in your future, do you?" The elderly witch asked and repeated back to the young lady.

Lisa quickly stopped what she was doing and looked at Grandmama with a mildly surprised look; realising she spoke louder then she intended.

"Come again?" She asked; unsure if she heard Grandmama Addams correctly.

"I could read your palm for you right now and tell you what is in your future; free of charge." Grandmama offered as she finished putting a black pillow case on the line; giving Lisa her full attention. "If that is what you want."

Lisa took a moment to think and decide as she finish putting the striped shirt on the line.

"I guess it wouldn't hurt." The young lady said with little hint of uncertainty in her tone.

Lisa almost let out a sudden squeak as Grandmama let out a wicked sounding cackle; grabbing Lisa by her wrist, taking her to the corner of room and sitting her down on a wooden box.

"Very good, dear. Now let me see your hand." The elder held her own hand out for the hesitant girl.

Lisa did as the old woman instructed; holding out her right hand for the elder to read. Grandmama took Lisa's hand into her hand and began inspecting the lines of her palm; starting with the life line.

"Well, your life line says that your quite healthy and you might live for a very long time." The elderly witch said as she read the line near Lisa's thumb. "You should spend some time moon bathing and make yourself nice and pale. That'll make you live for at least a hundred years."

Lisa blinked as she tried to process the woman's advise; thinking it rather hard to believe that laying down under the moon at night would be beneficial to her health. It sounded safer then sitting out in the sun for too long at least.

"That's good... I suppose." Lisa looked unsure as Grandmama continued reading her palm.

As the elderly witch continued reading the girls fortune, she found something rather intriguing on her love line.

"Interesting... Your love line says that you will find love in a strange place." Grandmama stated as she read the line forming from the index and pinky finger.

Lisa looked down at the floor as look of doubt formed in her eyes.

"My love life hasn't really been the best." She muttered rather cynically; not really caring if Grandmama heard her or not.

"How so, dear?" Grandmama asked as she looked up.

Lisa looked up with a small regretful frown.

"Let's just say my first boyfriend was kind of an ass." The young lady said with little context.

Grandmama could tell that Lisa did not really want to get into the subject of ex boyfriends; specifically, the one who apparently was a donkey. So, she just dropped it.

"Alright; let's see what your fate line has to say." The old witch said as she read the line going down from Lisa's middle finger to her wrist.

Lisa fidgeted in her seat as Grandmama took her time reading the last line on her palm. Grandmama hummed a short tune of interest as she continued to read the line.

"Interesting." She said out loud for Lisa to hear.

Lisa blinked in mild confusion when she heard what Grandmama said about her fate line.

"What's interesting?" She asked; hoping it was not anything bad.

"Well, your fate line says that you will find happiness again very soon. Not sure what the 'again' is about though." Grandmama explained as she let go of Lisa's hand and finished the reading. "But it also said that you will face a challenge of choice."

Lisa blinked in confusion as Grandmama explained with very little detail.

"Challenge of choice? What does that mean?" She asked as she scratched her head with a questioning tone.

Grandmama just shrugged before answering back.

"Readings like that aren't always specific and are usually quite cryptic. But I'm sure it'll all reveal itself to you in time. Just be patient." The old woman reassured before getting back to hanging up laundry.

Lisa took a couple of moments to think about to make sense of what just happened before she went back to helping Grandmama with the laundry. She tried to make sense of what her fate line said about her facing a challenge of choice. Maybe it had something to do with her finding happiness again and finding love in a strange place. The Addams house was a pretty strange place. And she told Morticia she had come to enjoy a certain butler's company. Maybe... Maybe it had something to do with everything here.

The challenge of choice, she was unsure of whatever that was. Lisa tried not to think about it too hard. But she looked at her tight and ill-fitting ring; just hoping it had nothing to do with Jasper...

* * *

**AN: I apologise for this chapter being a bit short. Read and review if you can, I'd really appreciate it.**


	16. Smart Casual

One day until the date...

* * *

Wednesday and her friends waited for Lurch to finish changing into the clothes they bought from the malls tall mens clothing shop for him. Over the past few days, the girls gave the butler a helping hand as he prepared for his date with Lisa. The Halloween carnival was only a day away and Lurch was as anxious as a porcupine in a hot air balloon; reassurance from Wednesday and her friends barely working. Parker and the twins took it upon themselves to out shopping for clothes Lurch could wear on his date; recalling a big and tall clothing store in the mall. After quietly asking Mr Addams if they could borrow some money and Mr Addams not even asking whatever the money was for, Parker and the twins rode their bikes straight to the mall while Wednesday stayed with Lurch for moral support; taking roughly an hour and a half to find something in Lurchs' size and preferred colours. Coming back right before afternoon tea time, Parker and the twins handed what they bought from the mall to Lurch and told him to try everything on until he found the combination of clothing that he liked and looked good in. Wednesday and the girls waited outside of her room while Lurch got dressed; wondering how it was going to turn out.

"He's taking a long time." Sherrie said as she played a game on her phone.

"You usually take a long time to get dressed." Carrie pointed out as she played with her hair in boredom.

"Not as long as mom does whenever she goes out with dad. I timed it just last month."

Wednesday paid no mind to the twins as she noticed her mother coming up the stairs with a small black box and Thing sitting on top of it; looking ahead towards the guestroom before she saw the girls.

"Well hello there, children. Already back from the mall I see." Morticia greeted as she made small talk with Wednesday and her friends.

"Yeah. There were a lot of people getting Halloween stuff at the last minute." Parker said as she shrugged in indifference.

"We wanted to have a look at Mad Rockers again." Carrie added as she let go of her hair.

"But we didn't have time and there was a line." Sherrie finished her sisters sentence as she put her phone down.

Parker nodded in agreement before Wednesday took notice of the object her mother was holding.

"What's in the box, mother?" The noose braided girl asked out of curiosity.

"Just some of my makeup. I thought Lisa might like to try some of it on and borrow it for tomorrow evening." Morticia explained as Thing gently tapped the lid. "Thing wanted to help as well. He's quite the expert in nail polish and colours."

Thing responded to that by showing off his nails all neatly painted with the black polish Wednesday bought for him at the Mad Rockers store; getting impressed reactions from the twins.

"Nice! Can you do ours?" Carrie and Sherrie asked if Thing could do their nails sometime; despite not knowing exactly how he painted his own nails when he was only one hand.

"I'm afraid he'll have to do it another time, dear. We mustn't keep our canvas waiting." Morticia spoke for the dismembered hand before heading towards the guestroom.

Wednesday and Parker watched as Morticia stopped in front of the guestroom door and Thing Knocked; making Lisa answer the door and welcoming the pair with a friendly greeting.

"I wonder what kind of look they're gonna go for her?" Carrie asked out loud as the guestroom door closed.

"Maybe something neutral. Or maybe something with Halloween in mind." Sherrie replied with her idea of what would look good on Lisa.

Before anyone could say anything else, a heavy knock came from inside of Wednesdays room; catching the girls attention and making them turn around.

"Changed..."

The girls heard Lurchs' low and dreary voice on the other side of the door; signalling that he finished changing into what Parker and the twins bought for him at the mall. Assuming that Lurch was ready to show off the outfit he picked out, Wednesday reached for the door handle and opened the door; Parker and the twins following closely. Wednesday only raised her eyebrows slightly while her friends let out impressed gasps.

Lurch just stood there with his head down and eyes glued to the floor; paying little attention to the girls as they looked at him in his new outfit. Instead of his usually grim and dark looking butler uniform, he was dressed in a look that said 'smart casual'. He stood there in a black button up shirt with a black tie done up towards his neck and his sleeves neatly buttoned up, wearing a nice pair of dark grey jeans with his shirt tucked in and comfortable but decent looking black shoes. Wednesday nodded in approval while the twins squealed in delight.

"You look sharp, Lurch!" Carrie and Sherrie complemented in unison; thinking the butler looked perfect for his date.

Lurch looked up from the floor to look at the girls with a hopeful blink; nervously holding his hands together as Wednesday and Parker had thoughtful looks on their faces.

"...I do?..." Lurch asked, thinking something still was not right about his appearance.

"Well, it's definitely you, Lurch." Wednesday answered with an uncertain answer before being honest. "But it's still a bit too formal."

Parker snapped her finger as she realised what it needed.

"I think I know what's wrong." She said as she approached the butler. "Hey Lurch; kneel down so I can reach you."

Lurch quickly did what Parker said and got on his knees so he could be on her level... at least closer to her level anyway. Parker stood on toes as she reached up and untied Lurchs' tie and tossed it aside; explaining her reason as she did so.

"You're close to casual, but still a bit too formal." She said as she undid the button on Lurchs' collar before rolling up his sleeves. "I get it. You want to make a good impression on Lisa. But you're just taking her out for coffee and going to a carnival; it's not like you're going to the Ritz or taking her out to a Broadway show."

Lurch let out a short and quiet groan as he rolled his eyes the other way; wondering if he was trying too hard. Parker smiled, stepped back and nodded in approval as she finished fixing up Lurchs' look.

"There we go." Parker said as she let the butler look at himself in Wednesdays mirror.

"She's going be head over heels!" Carrie and Sherrie complemented in unison.

Lurch had a look of uncertainty as he straightened his collar a bit; thinking he did look a little better with Parkers alterations.

"You, think so?..." The butler asked as he looked towards Wednesday and her friends.

"Lisa is going to love it, Lurch. Don't worry too much." Wednesday reassured her friend.

Lurch took Wednesday's reassurance to heart. Though it made him wander how Lisa was fairing and preparing for tomorrow.

"Which one do you think would work better, Morticia?"

Morticia took to moment to think as Lisa held up a shirt and a hoodie in front of her. The hoodie was black with a sugar skull the t-shirt was black with a smiling jack o lantern.

"It might be a good idea to wear both, my dear. It's going to get nice and chilly tomorrow evening." Mrs Addams told Lisa what she thought.

Lisa had a quick look at both items of clothing as she pictured herself wearing her nice blue jeans and jack o lantern earrings with them.

"Yeah that'll work." Lisa said with a nod.

"You'll look marvellous in whatever you choose, Lisa; I'm sure of it." Morticia reassured as she opened the makeup box she and Thing brought up with them and starting sorting them. "And I think I have some nice shades of night and black that'll look perfect on you. Maybe even blood."

Lisa gave Morticia a slightly worrisome look.

"You mean the colour shade of blood, not actual blood; right?" She asked just to be sure.

"Shade of blood, dear." Morticia answered Lisa reassuringly.

Lisa nodded quickly as she sat down on the edge of the bed; getting ready for Morticia to use her as a canvas. Though Morticia noticed that something seemed a bit off. Her shoulders were a little higher than usual and she was playing with her shirt; seemingly tense. Morticia told Thing to go find some suitable makeup before to she turned to Lisa.

"Is something the matter, dear?" Mrs Addams asked.

Lisa stopped fidgeting and looked up; her shoulders still looking a bit tense.

"Pardon?" She asked Morticia; not sure if she heard what the woman in black said.

"You seem tense. Are you nervous about tomorrow, Lisa?" Morticia asked out of concern for her friend as she sat down beside her.

Lisa made a little noise of uncertainty as she shook her head with a little nod; being rather indecisive before she finally thought of what she wanted to say.

"Yeah, I am." Lisa admitted as she rubbed her arm. "I haven't really been taken anywhere nice by a guy for quite a long time. I guess I'm just worried it won't be as great as I hope it would be or something might go wrong. Like it usually does."

"Well, I'm sure everything will go fine, Lisa. If it makes you feel better, I think Lurch might be a little nervous too." Morticia tried to reassure Lisa of her worries."

Lisa briefly darted her eyes back and forth before blinking at Morticia.

"How does that actually make me feel better?" She asked in genuinely questionable tone.

"I'm only saying that because it's okay for you to be a little nervous. But in truth, you don't really need to worry." Morticia explained with a very little smile of reassurance. "Even though I was a bit... sceptical of this town at first, it really is a safe place to live and go out in. And if you get separated from Lurch, he's very easy to spot. You just need to jump up a bit and you might see him in the distance."

Lisa felt her shoulders loosening up as she took in Morticias' words of reassurance. She was not really nervous about the carnival being boring. She actually more nervous about being alone. But she kept coming back to the thought that if she stayed close to Lurch, she might be okay for the evening. A little smile appeared on the young lady's face.

"Yeah. You're right. I'll be okay." Lisa said as she felt better about tomorrow. "I really appreciate your advice, Morticia. Thanks."

"Glad I could be of help, dear." Morticia said as Thing handed her some eyeshadow. "Now let's see what looks better on you. Deadly Nightshade, or Deadman's' ashes."

* * *

**AN: Sorry this took so long. Been a little busy with things and a little depressed with said things. Don't worry though, I'm definitely going to finish this fic. Your comments and reviews really help in motivating me. So stay tuned for more.**


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